Firewater combines circus music, Eastern European music, R&B, smoky swing, and cabaret into dark drama. Throaty, histrionic Tod A is backed by a flexible band that brings out all the spookiness and menace of the circus. These unnerving songs are often quite catchy but are so bombastic that a few of them go a long way. Also, there could be much more variation in vocals and overall tone. All the songs are ominous, portentous, and resigned, but somehow I can't figure out the album is quite about. I'm now afraid of Tod A but I can't figure out why he's appropriated the circus to describe some personal drama.

Oh yeah, there's an answering machine message from a stalker ex-girlfriend that is spread out between tracks 7-9.

If you want to be weird, play this with Mr. Bungle's circus album.

Stand-out tracks: 2, 4, 6, 9, 15

1. short circus music intro
2. bouncy, piano-drive, threatening dramatic vocals, very Afghan Whigs
3. flute, organ, R&B summer time feel, reminds me of War, FCC: Fuck
4. draggy, circusy, harsh guitars, resigned lyrics
5. Eastern European feel, sax and accordion
6. very intense, dramatic, crazed circus organ, calliope(?), a cabaret
feel, carnie barker vocals
7. Weird answering machinie message from a stalker to funky groove, FCC
8. answering machine message continues, acoustic guitar, vocals sensitive
then bombastic, organ background
9. answering machine message concludes, smokey swing, finger-snapping, sax
10. swing instrumental
11. tough vocals, repetitive, intense organ
12. menacing carnival music
13. acoustic guitar, mellotron, spooky, repetitve lyrics
14. manic Eastern European instrumental, short
15. circus instrumental, quoting 1
16. really short (:15) instrumental