Imperial Teen: The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band

Get over your dope jam, get ready to ‘Shim Sham’

Girded in the optimism of ’70s shampoo commercials and the brio of fishnets, Imperial Teen has returned after a five-year hiatus to relieve drought and misery. A sly reference to the various activities that have kept them busy for so long, The Hair sounds like the unabashed celebration of four people finally getting back to what they enjoy doing most. It’s as if The B-52’s had been hibernating, undiscovered, in Athens for the past 20 years, smoking pot, changing nappies and cross-dressing for PTA meetings—but even better. While many modern acts attempt to preserve their catchy bits by embalming them in superfluous verses and intros, Imperial Teen cuts out anything that’s not inspired by joy. (“I LOOOVE them!” my six-year-old recently said while the CD played. “They just play the good parts!”) There is much to be excited about here and virtually nothing to poo-poo.