The Gerbils
"Are you Sleepy"
Neutral Milk Hotel, The Gerbils --Anybody can sing about Maria, Caroline, or Wendy, but paeans to Fiona are rare
indeed. With "Is She Fiona," a track from their debut cd, "Are You Sleepy?" (Hidden Agenda), The Gerbils have
stepped up to fill the gap. The record's lyrics like "Your hair/Curls just like hair." No surprise that one of the band's
metaphors for romantic turbulence is a girl who loves Portastatic addressing her significant who loves Sebadoh.
Then there's the instrumental "Wet Host," which consists solely of theremin-like squeaks, tape-loop burbles, and
intermittent fizzing noises, plus a ghostly piano. It's all very catchy, as befits a band containing members of Neutral
Milk Hotel's touring incarnation.