So I blame my trip to Europe for not bringing this to you earlier. TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb’s Idiots most likely got buried under our backed-up mail when we came back. That’s why it was nice to find it personally delivered to our mailbox again wrapped in a brown paper bag with multiple pictures of a very attractive naked brunette. We still have the bag. :o) Thank you TJ Kong (a.k.a. Dan Bruskewicz)! Back to Idiots – it’s a fuckin’ foot-stompin’ rockin’ good time! Kong’s cigarette and whiskey stained vocal chords ring out lyrics creating perfect cinematic moments that play out like a Bukowski adventure that ends with a mystical drunken prophet bellowing wisdom or madness at you during last call. Dan Martino’s drumming and Joshua Willis’ standup bass work are tight and explosive. And while Kong’s music might sound like it is cut from the tapestry of some familiar American music history, you do find him experimenting on his recordings with noise and samples (probably to try and recreate the sounds from his last mescaline adventure). Idiots is a fitting soundtrack to an evening where the alcohol flows like water. While I enjoy the darker, rockin’ tracks like “Can’t Come Back” and “Photograph Waltz” best, the more radio-friendly tunes like “Everyone We Know”, which was created to induce spontaneous sing-alongs, and “Not Enough Time in the Day”, which should probably be an XPN favorite, standout as well. I might have also found my new mantra. “My mind is like an ocean, and I got seaweed on the brain.” You should definitely grab a copy of Idiots if this sounds like something you’re into. – Q.D. Tran