You always got the feeling that Billy Childish wanted to make freaky garage come out of the sky even if he had to try to convince that post-punk never happened in order to do so. And yet, Acropolis Now, existing near the end of the first act of Thee Mighty Caesars' run, showed that the old beliefs were becoming inconsistently satisfying. Whether or not "Loathsome 'n' Wild" and "When the Night Comes" were crude enough to outweigh their Kinda Kinks lifts, the addition of Sarah (Delmonas) and organist Fay Hallam (The Gift Horses, Makin' Time) gave many of the other songs new room to breathe. "Lil' Red Riding Hood" was secured by an oogie-boogie bottom swing, and "I Feel Like Giving In" was droll church lady music. While it entirely failed to propel the genre or the band in a new direction, in its best moments Acropolis Now was sonically uncluttered and candid, if all too reliant on a New York City high end. ~ Dean Carlson
