Well - the artist promised psychedelic and that's what we got here. Anyone interested in the 60's Rock, read on. Everyone else, read on anyway, because this is a pretty darn good song.

I absolutely love the reproduction of this retro-rock style, which you can't hear anymore nowadays, unless you have some 40 year old records and still a working record player to play them - of course, there are the BillBoard CD's. But, this one would not be on there, but IMHO it should!

The arrangement of this song is very well thought out and the production is pretty darn good, if you ask me. Love the lyrics for the style of music. The vocals are appealing and the harmonizing of the lead with the backup vocals are excellent!

This really takes me back ... you know, I'm 46 and grew up with that stuff! (Damn, am I old!!!!)

This is most definitely worth anyone to take a listen to. You don't/can't hear this kind of old style rock anymore / anywhere!!!

Pillbugs: that's a keeeeepa !!!!!!!!!!   

Beatles, Byrds, Styx and Zep are all encapsulated and given forth in the form of..... The Pillbugs.
Everybody needs to check out this band! Not only do they have the entire psychedelic genre down pat, but the music is as timless as that era is...
As well done and as unknown as Big Star, this band has all the right elements and much more...
Listening to all of their songs, one starts to think again of the fairness and efficacy of the music industrial engine...
We will never know how many musical Einsteins have come and gone under the unsuspecting noses of the A&R elites... Well, the era of A&R elites has passed, and moved on... Their ranks are assembling on the flanks of the unemployment lines blank stares...
The A&R towers are crumbling... How many new finds are on the market now? The time has come to throw asunder the shards of ivory and remake the process...
Phew!... That is the effect of The Pillbugs!
Great stuff!!!!!!!!
Rock On The Pillbugs!

Within seconds of listening to "Climbing The Walls", you know you have traveled to a special place and time that hasn't exsisted for decades. On first listen, I wondered, why don't I recognize this song from the 60's...then it hit me...this is no cover! I was listening to a true classic that was written and performed in the "NOW". The same now that I thought was a spitoon of regurgitated Madonna clones and pimply faced "no balls" boy bands. Well, blow me down! There is hope for lovers of good music, thanks to THE PILLBUGS.
While "Climbing The Walls", written by David Murnen (who also sings lead), is one of the most refreshing songs to come our way in quite some time, this is by no means news to fans of The Pillbugs. They have consistantly amazed and amused with countless songs of quality, not unlike the Fab Four before...but this is no clone band...this is the real deal. The names Mikel, Murnen, Kelley, Chalmers, and Talbert will soon be on your radio, your computer and the tip of your tongue. Catch this comet by the tail and hang on...cause they are going places!

--BVB SoundClick 2003

There are oodles of modern bands who proudly kneel at the altar of the pop-psychedelic gods, but Ohio’s Pillbugs are one of the few that have had their prayers answered, as The 3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream is one of the most authentic sounding discs of the genre. This, the band’s second album, boasts 23 tracks and clocks in at almost 73 minutes…and not a second is wasted. Most of the songs exhume traditional themes of the psychedelic era, including odes to everyday people and somewhat surreal images like laser beams, groovy pleasure trips, and nature machines. Genuine articles like sitar lines, backwards guitars, and lots and lots of well placed vocals abound on all the songs and a myriad of influences appear, the most noteworthy of which are The Millennium (“Neo Mega Quasi Ultra Super Groovy,” “Charlie Blue Car”), The Turtles psychedelic side (“If You Can’t Remain,” Saturday Morning Cartoons”), Roy Wood/The Move (“Liberty Town Of Love,” ”May”), The Dukes Of Stratosphere (“Liquid Bob,” “Larry In The Sea With Daffodils”), and The 1910 Fruitgum Company (!) (“Up And Down On Your Merry-Go-Round”). The 3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream is a veritable smorgasbord of psychedelic pop delights. Eat up! (www.pillbugs.com)

The Pillbugs' long-awaited second album delivers the same psychedelic genius offered from the band in their triumphant self-titled, self-released first albumÉand much more. Truly, one of the most forward reaching pop bands on the indie scene. As works they work their way through a long list of influences - The Zombies, Lefte Banke, The Who, The Move/ELO, The Monkees, XTC/Dukes Of Stratosphere, Syd Barrett -- it's never a cliched, dredging up boring re-interpretation of those influences. More modern bands you'll hear are Outrageous Cherry and The Resonars and the excellent Rainbow Quartz label. "Like The Beatles with attention deficit disorder, The Pillbugs cut, paste and spackle together a seemingly random starburs of symphonic, hallucinogenic and downright pop-tastic bits and pieces into one long, strange trip of a record. Though the song is paramount, and the hook reigns supreme, The Pillbugs lace each of their pop confections with enough backing harmonies, percussion, flutes and stringes, sitars, and who-knows-what-else, that the 72 minute feast takes a few listens to properly absorb! Not that this will present a problem as it inspires all-day listening and singing along."- Toledo City Paper. Here's what the bands own manifesto states beautifully and accurately, we might echo: "The Pillbugs are champions of psychedelia in it's purest form. The goal of the band is to go forward by going backward and with the mindset that we will take psychedelic rock and roll to newer places. We indulge in many sounds and instruments while keeping the music fresh, fun and memorable. We like to take advantage of the fact that music is played primarily on 2 separate speakers. Along with incredible stereo separation, you'll find songs with strings, horns, backwards guitars and sounds, sitars (all real, analogue and genuine) combined with the more traditional rock and roll instruments. All that genre stuff aside, we'd like to point out that SONGWRITING is king. Our main focus; to write great "gotta hear THAT again" songs." This awesome CD is packaged with a special Viewmaster¨ reel, 3D promises to be not only a joy to Pillbugs fans, but also for collectors of rare psychedelia due to the limited run of this deluxe CD. To further sweeten the deal, this CD is a double album on one disk! Extremely Highly Recommended and runner for many Top 10/20 lists for 2003.

The earliest tracks of this double album album go beyond the (neo-) sixties psych styles, and includes late 60's, early 70's influences. Also this release contains arrangements close to perfection. First 7 tracks sounds as one track with a lot of changes and ideas. First track "Thou doth warm me (like the sun)" sounds like a Beatle-esque track from around the White album era, but with more psychedelic effects. Further on the tracks become more late 60's early 70's in style. "Black sombrero" even is a flamenco prog rock track with electric guitar and organ solo's. "Undecided" with distorted voice and backing vocals rocks even much more, with fine hard (prog) rock guitars. "We are the orange sky people" which follows is somewhat in the back-in-the-60's style, but at the same time is produced much more modernly, with various prog touches and instrumentation and orchestral bits. All fantastic. "Comburda" after that, has strong contrasting arrangements, again in late 60's styles. Last two tracks of these seven are more driven by a beautiful warm sound, with nice and crafty late 60's arrangements, sounding incredibly fresh. After that it will give a further continuity often in an improved Beatle-esque style, without any weak moments. Not all tracks are as arranged, some of them are even more common. Although in general all tracks are highly enjoyable on this double CD, I still would have preferred a shorter album with all the heavily arranged tracks together. The group itself plays on the CD together more than 20 instruments. It's especially in the refined arrangements that we can hear them. This leaves us with 7 more talented session musicians (playing cello, sax, violins, double bass, pedal steel guitar, or trumpet). The first disk contains 19 tracks, disk two 13. Together these 32 pieces provide a rewarding listen.

Usually I don't check many neo-sixties groups, but when I lately had the opportunity to check and listen to some, this group came to the fore. Usually I'm much more of an early 70's music fan, but like many collectors I also have my favourite 60's items : July, Music Emporium, Gandalf, Love's second, Pretty Things (S.F. Sorrow), and maybe Pussy, with White Noise first as my favourite late 60's album, but that one's already more avant garde than usual. But of course also these days there's a possibility that some groups of nowadays still have such a sound in a spontanuous way. My favourite neo/new 60's band so far is The Living Room whose first album contained mostly psych folk pop with a 60's edge. I wonder how they evolved.. I think The Pillbugs appealed to me, from the tracks I heard, especially with its perfect sound, its psychedelic feel and lots of acoustic elements, and a beautiful organ, fine arrangements and warm vocal harmonies.
This particular CD came with a viewmaster and a three dimensional view of this 5-piece group with bubblegum psych coloured illustrations. These look very beautiful and original. A gadget idea intended to make people buy original cd's instead of copying illegally. First three tracks are very fine Beatle-esque songs with beautiful arrangements including the unmistakable organ, cello, and orchestral arrangements with a perfectionism in production, something which was also another Beatles trademark. The three tracks following are ok too, but are more like inspirations after covering other 60's groups. It has a more easy sound, still played with obvious pleasure. Many of the tracks that follow have really perfect arrangements and compositions. "Friend for the day" is a fine and beautiful sitar psych song. "Saturday Morning Cartoons" is a very funny little track with a 60's folk psych sound. "Girl on a laser beam" is funny too, played in a Beatle-esque way. "Feet first" has beautiful vocal harmonies and sparse spacey effects. Also "Liquid Bob" has very fine and pleasant arrangements, going beyond any usual psych. The "3D Theme" is an appealing instrumental with orchestral arrangements, and some electric guitars improvisations, piano and very beautiful vocal arrangements, and some psych organ / keyboards, professionally mixed and arranged. To be followed are a couple of not so inspired tracks until "Charlie Blue Car" which has a more up tempo beat track including some sitar. Also "The cat who dropped the bomb" and the following tracks have a somewhat stronger sound, although most of them have a neo- and remember-the Beatles- feel in it, where some of the earlier tracks did have a much more spontaneously fitting just-like-the-60's-sound, created tastefully. "Popcycle Island" is a beautiful closer, with the group at its most perfect again. In general the group is clearly talented. But when they work has been put into the arrangements the band really succeeds giving listening pleasure as appealing as the best 60's psych bands.