The Squirrels: Scrapin' For Hits

While the members of The Presidents of the United States of America sell millions of records full of goony, punked-up rock silliness, the band's mentor and greatest influence, Rob Morgan, continues to toil away with his bizarre brainchild, The Squirrels. Scrapin' For Hits is Morgan's attempt to cash in on 12 years of prolific obscurity, during which he has made some of the most ridiculous pop-culture mutations around: From a children's medley of "Seasons in the Sun" and "The Hustle" to something appropriately titled "Oz On 45," Scrapin' For Hits is bizarre, over-the-top and entirely unpredictable. It's also headache-inducing in more than a few spots—like a Dr. Demento staple that's too often silly for silliness' sake—but you can see how bands like the Presidents would get a kick out of its cracked worldview and pop-culture repertoire. At 27 songs (including a few tracks Morgan recorded as leader of The Pudz) and 72 minutes, it's generous and/or overlong, depending on how you look at it. Either way, it's a bit much for one sitting.