FUFKIN.COM
by Kevin Mathews

...if you really dug Robyn Hitchcock in his days with the Egyptians, [you] will absolutely adore this. Sure, it's psychedelic and Barrettesque but not in an obvious way. No doubt, some of you will be able to trace the influences of Andy (XTC) Partridge and Guided by Voices as well, which is all good news. "MTV Song" is a cracker!

TOWERRECORDS.COM

Anton returns with a second helping of pop gems both spirited and bitter. All the tea you crave with just a little extra sugar added to disguise the taste of poison, this one is as mouth-watering as that first whiff of bacon that awaits you in the morning. With a few conceptual pieces tossed into the mix, you may find you'll get more than what you're looking for as well as more than what you realized you'd been deprived of for far too long. Be the first in your metropolitan area to hear Anton mimic one of the original British Wave's most endearing bands in "Tad Song," an uproarious response to a critic's lacerating diatribe. With tasty tracks extolling the virtues of female urination and rebuking the constraints of religious fundamentalism, Anton the songwriter takes no prisoners but will surely hold you captive from beginning to end. By the time he implores you to "Come Again," you'll find yourself too weak to resist.

AMPLIFIER Vol. 2, #1
by Bill Holmes

"Allyson 23" kicks off the record with a lurch--voice, guitar and drums all start together as if you dropped the needle in the middle of the record. And you might as well, because Anton's Wild Ride will take you on a roller-coaster through his head, turning and twisting at the most unexpected moments while you know that at any given moment, anything can happen. And it does!

Anton (or "AntBar", as he is affectionately known) will at times remind you of Robyn Hitchcock, XTC, The Loud Family and other less conventional artists because he, like them, has a vision that's anything but "cookie cutter" music. His voice can be a sad whimper (the beautiful "Untitled But Sad") or a tool of conviction ("I Want You Not Around") and everything in between. Musically he uses a crack band augmented by cello, flute, percussion and sometimes even sound effects to get his point across.

Subject Matter? Nothing is sacred. AntBar's world is a raw nerve of rejection, acceptance, happiness, fear, pain, love and thousands of other impulses that throb in his songs. That means that along with your moments of poetic imagery ("...your sand, oceanless and dry") you'll observe girls peeing or share fifty seconds with "Vomit Song". But Anton tempers this diverse no-holds-barred approach with wit and a lifetime's worth of musical influence; the result is rich and rewarding.

There are several strong tunes that simply demand to be heard. "MTV Song" (every musician's nightmare) and the hilarious "Tad Song" (which skewers a Sacramento music writer) are certainly upbeat and punchy enough, and the Crowded House Brit-funk of "Bible Beater" is a real treat. "A Proper Cup Of Tea", led by ringing guitar, would delight any Paul Kelly fan. Slower, haunting tunes like "Jelly" and especially the hypnotic "Come To Me (Made Of Metal)" are pure delight.

With nineteen songs, expect to go off the tracks a few times. Anton sometimes bridges the gap with tape loops or answering machine messages as short "songs". I would have been much happier without "Complicated Umbrella Piece" or "Long John", thank you, and could have easily put together a ten or eleven song record without losing a beat. But it's his muse, and a small price to pay to be able to hear the gems within.

I want to hear more from Anton, even if I have to weed through the idiosyncrasies to get to the true keepers. So what if the batting average isn't 1.000--the extra base hits are worth the trade off. This is true adventure pop. Invest the time in AntBar's wonderful world and be rewarded.

AUDITIES Oct/Nov 1996
by Janet Ingraham

Not Unlike: Robyn Hitchcock, Elvis Costello, XTC, even those dadburn Beatles. And Bob Dylan. Really.

Comments: In a just world, anyone reading this would already be an Anton fan.

Sacramento songster Barbeau, recently relocated to the bigger scene of San Francisco, has concocted quite an array of pop cocktails (but beware--they're laced!) over the past decade, including two marvelous more-than full-length CDs, The Horse's Tongue (with the JoyBoys, 1993) and Waterbugs & Beetles. Still a youngster, but shoulder-deep in pop know-how and with an overactive brain on top, Barbeau can do lyrics more wry, twisted, and scary/funny than They Might Be Giants at their wacky brightest, and music that demonstrates he's listened to a lot of great pop records--all types--a lot of times, and still finds time to distill it all through his unique genius. And he has a neat, nasally, contrarily pleasing croon, a little raspy, occasionally howly, occasionally soulful, and fun to hear.

Waterbugs & Beetles, the home of 19 cuts from such a fertile mind, does have its share of oddities, minute-long novelties featuring cello or answering machine--but nothing you don't want to listen to (be aware, however, that some lyrics may be difficult for some folks: Anton puts a pretty in-your-face spin on his responses to childhood traumas and religious fundamentalism, he exposes some personal nerve endings, and he can be dang raunchy). Some tracks are extremely listenable: the captivating pop-perfect "Allyson 23", and "Tad Song", a rocking in-joke that you don't need to get; you'll be content enjoying its creative use of "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" anyway. Oh, all right: it's written for Tad Toomay of the Sacramento News & Review who once wrote a scathing-ish review of Anton and the JoyBoys, asserting that Barbeau doesn't do anything on stage that Herman's Hermits hadn't already accomplished--this gave Anton, apparently, his only bad copy ever, and enough incentive to create an over-the-top hilarious and rave-up tune. Musicians take note of the clever use of bad press!

Also enjoy the weird but hum-worthy "A Proper Cup of Tea" ("I'd cross the causeway in a Subaru if I could find someone to guide me"; the dark, biting, "Bed of Pain"; the plaintive "Waterbugs and Beetles", which manages to be a beautiful song in spite of the kooky way it's first verse will stop you in your tracks; and the jovially caustic "MTV Song" about an impostor who steals the singer's idea and hits the BIG big time, while our singer languishes in obscurity. Which he does, and I don't get it. Barbeau's sensibilities, accomplishment, and wit demand comparison to Robyn Hitchcock, XTC, and Elvis Costello. He is lyrically and musically unpredictable but almost consistently amazing. Why isn't he a star in our groovy pop world?

BAM
By Denise Sullivan

Since I'm a sucker for the self-sufficient singer/songwriter/musician, Barbeau's sharp, lyric-heavy electric pop is appealing. Not everyone likes the musical genius/control freak genre, but if you like Dramarama, Game Theory, Robyn Hitchcock, Chris von Sneidern, and Kristian Hoffman, with bits of the Plimsouls, Dylan, and the Beatles thrown in, chances are you will also like part-time Anglophile Barbeau. He even interacts with a number of other musicians on his record: a cellist, a violinist, bassist, drummer, guitarists, and vocalists, including Scott Miller of the Loud Family.

HECKLER
By Kevin Seconds

It's hard for me to fathom why Anton isn't already signed to a sweet, million dollar deal with some fat cat conglom, drivin' around in a Lexus and doing spots on that MTV sports thingie with Dandy Dan Cortese. Ok, it's NOT that hard, but really, with Sacto currently being a fertile-as-fuck hotbed for record label pickin's, it's inevitable that AntBar will soon be "discovered". This is a good AND bad thing. GOOD cuz he works his butt off playing locally and putting out his own records on his own label and he deserved mega-success, fame, and yes, even his own folder on the AOL music forum. BAD cuz, once discovered, i/we may never again get to see him at intimate local venues as Cafe Paris and Bella Bru. That would suck but this new album doesn't (how's that for a segue?). Mixing up humorous yet often sensitive lyrics and folksy but "modern" rockin' tuneage, this disc has (sorry for the cliche) something for everybody and could easily take the place of the Matthew Sweets, Crackers and Cakes of the world and we'd all be better off cuz of it. Standouts on this fine record include: "MTV Song," "The Ballad of Sarah & Zoe," "Tad Song," and my new fave Anton song (besides "The Porcupine Song" of course), "Allyson 23" (no dorks, not just cuz of the title!). I mention these titles and hereby demand that KWOD plays them all religiously until painful memories of The Cranberries, Alanis Morrisette, and Bush go away. Buy this damn record!!!!

MAD ABOUT MUSIC, August 15, 1995

Poppy, odd, dark and bright, all at once, Sacramento's Anton Barbeau's just-released second album is exceedingly and readily accessible, despite the surprising and catchy quirks encompassed by his songs. Currents of XTC, the Beatles, and Robyn Hitchcock abound in his songs, woven together to create a vastly solid and complete collection of flirtatious gems. Barbeau has opened for Robyn Hitchcock, Jonathan Richman, and Weezer, and continues to gain popularity in Northern California.

MAGPIE WEEKLY, September 7, 1995

Someone like Mariah Carey makes one appreciate Anton Barbeau all that much more. Carey, the soda pop star turned Sony heiress, can't seem to make hit songs that don't sound like revised funk karaoke. Meanwhile, Barbeau keeps turning out all of these authentic little gems that prove, if nothing else, he hasn't had a chance to sleep with any of the right record company people. And if he has, or even daydreamed about it, he'd probably have written a song about it. There are many fine tunes among the 19 songs that make up this exceptionally well-produced work. Just a few of them are "Bed of Pain" (poked out my eyes on a sunny Monday), the grease poppin' "Beautiful Bacon Dream" and "Untitled (but sad)," with its mournful cello. For pure pop pleasure, though, it's tough to beat "Tad"; We coulda done our math together/We coulda taken baths together."

SNACKCAKE, Vol. 2 #3, 1997
by Tim Scanlin

Any jaded loser who thinks that true pop music has been usurped by Alternative Slop and Adult Contemporary Trash need look no further than Sacramento's Anton Barbeau. This guy has made a fucking cottage industry out of penning, short, witty pop morsels. "Allyson 23" is about as crisp as they come. "MTV Song" sounds like the work of Scott Miller at his best (and I do believe The Man Himself makes a cameo appearance on another song "I Want You Not Around"). "A Proper Cup of Tea" is magnificent and the next song, the title track, is beautiful acoustic melancholy a la Big Star's "Thirteen". This record contains 19 tracks. At this rate, I'll be here all night. This is a must for lovers of intelligent and heartfelt pop.

VALLEY MUSIC NEWS, July-August 1995

After mixing, mixing, and more mixing, Anton Barbeau has finally released a new CD on idiot Records. Waterbugs & Beetles has all the flavor, quirk, and nakedness of Anton's first disc, The Horse's Tongue; but the key word here is more. With 19 tracks, the album is a feast of winning pop song, hook-laden rockstuff, and exposed emotions.

Just as Barbeau brings you to the verge of tears, he'll sing something completely unpredictable that will either cause you to laugh or be repulsed. With themes ranging from sexed-up boy-meets-girl to MTV to S&M, it's not uncommon to find Anton singing about making love one moment and vomiting the next. Make no mistake though; the charm is there.

Anton is a brilliant songwriter, with all the irreverence he needs to make it bigtime. The only question is this; When the world comes knocking on Anton's door, will he be in the bath?

YELLOW PILLS, #8, 1997
by Jordan Oakes