Hailing from Tempe, AZ, the Refreshments launched their short-lived career as a solid frat boy band, and
Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy captures that period with muscled guitar riffs and strong vocals. Though much of this debut is about alcohol, Mexico, and girls (topics that the band later revisited on 1997's The Bottle & Fresh Horses, albeit with a stronger southwestern influence), the album also sports a sense of humor and lack of pretension that helped make the Refreshments minor stars. Listening to "Girly" or "Banditos," the album's flagship single, is like kicking back with a college bud and a brew: summery, smirky, and somewhat yearning. The irreverence in the Refreshments' lyrics makes all the difference between them and other increasingly self-serious bands in the same vein. All the anguished grunge and post-grunge posing got old fast -- and with clever lyrics, solidly melodic guitar work, and Roger Clyne's marketable voice, the Refreshments kept fun alive on the alternative scene throughout the decade's latter half. ~ Bryan Buss