"Pop Goes the Pigdog! was so extremely good that it almost defies description." -Grant Hamilton, Brandon Sun, 2007.

"This is a decidedly intelligent leftist, anti-imperialist record... the welling epic arrangements of many of these tunes match the subject matter blow-for-blow, making this the most impressive debut by a Winnipeg act for many years." -John Kendle, Uptown Magazine, 2006.

"De zachte en breekbare stem van Shipley betovert terwijl de woorden beurtelings doen glimlachen en grimlachen. (Shipley' soft and breakable voice enchants one into smiling, despite the grimness inherant in the words he sings.)" -Wim Boluijt, Hanx.net, Dutch Music Zine, 2007. 

"Musically, it's that gentle strain of country, folk and chamber pop that our great nation bangs out by the boatload... but listen close, because the lyrics are bare-knuckled black comedy bordering on surrealism, diabolically sharp and intricate left-wing zingers at the expense of, well, guess who?" -Rupert Bottenburg, Montreal Mirror, 2007.

"It seems like there is less and less room for activism in popular music nowadays, which makes Winnipeg's Consumer Goods such an interesting little act... while it's cover art would tend to make one think the listener should be getting prepared for a noisy, raucous blast of politico-punk, the album is instead chalk-full of rootsy guitars, sweet pedal steel and some infectious little leftist ditties." -Sean Palmerston, The View (Hamilton), 2007.

"Tyler Shipley and his band tackle heady topics of social justice, American politics, revolution and a woman's right to choose on their triumphant sophomore effort, which should rank as one of 2007's best local releases." -Rob Williams, Winnipeg Free Press, 2007.

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GRUMPY CLOUD RECORDS PRESENTS THE CONSUMER GOODS, A POLITICAL POP BAND FROM WINNIPEG, CANADA!

Tyler Shipley - vocals, guitars, harmonicas, accordians, pianos, organs
Ryan McVeigh - bass, guitars, vocals, production
Matt McLennan - bass, guitars, vocals
Ian Jeffrey – guitars, pianos, organs
Matt Hildebrand - drums, percussion

The Consumer Goods are a critical and absurdist project committed to creating delicious and addictive pop songs undermining everything for which contemporary liberal capitalism stands.

I'm Tyler Shipley; I write the words and sing them. I've been in a lot of bands, but this one is my favourite. It started a couple of years ago when I brought together some of Winnipeg's finest musicians to make my first unapologetically political record. That 2006 debut was called Pop Goes the Pigdog! and it was a simmering and intense expression of outrage at the various ways in which our political and economic system creates needless human suffering. Heavy stuff, admittedly, but the hook was that we did it all to the blissful strains of jangling guitars and pop melodies.

Still, all that anger gets exhausting - not to mention somewhat self-defeating. This time around, we did it a little differently. Instead of being polemic and heavy-handed, I wrote songs that made my friends laugh and I soon realized that political critique works just as well when you wrap it up in absurdity. For instance, in the song Sun, oh Sun, I imagined a scenario where the sun was being labeled a ‘terrorist' for shining over the Middle East. In Rovie Wade, I lamented the repealing of a woman's right to control her body by picturing George Bush, impregnated by Dick Cheney, desperately seeking a coat-hanger abortion in a back alley. In that sense, we came out a little more Morrissey than Matthew Good, if you'll forgive us the comparison.

With that, I would like to present our latest offering, Happy Bidet. In keeping with the idea of making protest music fun, we shuffled the lineup a little, bringing in some of my oldest and closest friends. The effect has been tremendous; I'm surrounded by a formidable array of talent who turned a handful of good ideas into a record that ranges from the sublimely beautiful to the ridiculously noisy and regularly checks in to remind you that you're listening to an infectious and hooky pop record.

As you might expect, I'm very proud of this record and I hope you will enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording. When people ask me about my band, I usually tell them that there is a fine line between being critical and being hypocritical, and the Consumer Goods are about walking that line. We know that playing songs for our friends in bars is not doing a whole lot to change the world, and we're not going to posture like it is. But there is a chance that getting these songs out there might change a few minds, and in our other lives as organizers, activists, students and teachers, we'll be pretty thrilled to have a few more people standing up for causes that are important.

So go turn on the record and expect something cheeky and offensive. But know that it's coming from people who are very intent on creating a better social system and would love to chat with you a little more about any of the questions we may have raised.

Sincerely,

Tyler Shipley and the Consumer Goods, members of the Grumpy Cloud Records collective.