Strangers from the Universe

Strangers from the Universe is an album by the American band Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, released in 1994 through Matador Records.^[1][2] The band supported the album by touring with Live.^[3] Strangers from the Universe was a moderate commercial success.^[4] Mark Davies used an Optigan keyboard on some of the tracks.^[5]

Strangers from the Universe
Studio album by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Released	1994
Recorded	Lowdown, San Francisco, California
Genre	Indie rock, experimental rock, noise rock
Length	46:38
Label	Matador
Producer	Greg Freeman, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 chronology
The Funeral Pudding (1994) Strangers from the Universe (1994) I Hope It Lands (1996)

It was reissued in 2022.^[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[8]
The Great Alternative & Indie Discography	4/10[9]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[10]
Sputnikmusic	4.5/5[11]

Trouser Press wrote: "Berserk rhythms are presented with deadpan simplicity, like the sickly funk riff of 'Socket' that keeps sticking a banana peel in its own path."^[12] Spin opined that "for once the Thinking Fellers have made an album that you can comfortably hear straight through, and its dark mood deepens along the way."^[13]

The Washington Post determined that the album "can be elusive, but much of it deserves the title the band bestowed on the closing track, 'Noble Experiment'."^[14] The Santa Fe New Mexican noted that "sometimes stringed instruments, such as banjo or mandolin, are used as rhythm instruments, or to create a throbbing drone ... It's usually unsettling, but sometimes beautiful."^[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"My Pal the Tortoise"	2:47
2.	"Socket"	4:23
3.	"Bomber Pilot WWII"	1:14
4.	"Hundreds of Years"	4:29
5.	"Guillotine"	5:13
6.	"Uranium"	1:14
7.	"February"	3:09
8.	"Pull My Pants Up Tight"	0:59
9.	"Cup of Dreams"	6:40
10.	"The Oxenmaster"	1:49
11.	"The Operation"	5:24
12.	"The Piston and the Shaft"	5:11
13.	"Communication"	0:24
14.	"Noble Experiment"	3:11

Personnel

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282

• Mark Davies – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, banjo, Optigan, brass instruments, percussion
• Anne Eickelberg – vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, percussion
• Brian Hageman – vocals, guitar, mandolin
• Jay Paget – vocals, drums, guitar, keyboards, sampler
• Hugh Swarts – vocals, guitar, percussion

Production and additional personnel

• Gail Butensky – photography
• Greg Freeman – production, engineering
• John Frentress – sculptures
• Margaret Murray – design
• Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 – production, recording