Singer-songwriter F.M. Cornog got his start in the early 90s by joining the great tradition of formerly homeless, recovered-addicts-turned-musicians — and years later he’s still mining that sensitive experiential territory. But for a supposedly intimate album, What Are You On? is awfully standoffish. Just a glance at the track listing, with titles like ‘Shut Up and Row’, ‘Life is a Landfill’ and ‘Some Dreams Can Kill You’, hints at the belligerent tone that runs through most of the record. Cornog’s lyrics are as tiresome as the situations they describe, even when they’re delivered ironically. (‘Druglife’ boasts the couplet, “Should have known something was wrong/When last week you tossed my favorite bong.”) To his credit, Cornog is an impressive one-man band. Listening to the album, you’d never guess it was a solo effort — let alone that it was home-recorded. And subject matter aside, songs like ‘Absolutely Nothing’ and ‘Crystal Queen’ succeed despite (or perhaps thanks to) sounding a lot like Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips. Obviously, drugs will always be fodder for rock songs, but it’s probably time for Cornog to experiment with something new. Or at least get his hands on better drugs.
