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There’s something richly amusing about this experimental duo’s latest CD silver lining. Members Andrew Muecke and Ashley Starkey, ably assisted by Carrie Barr who Carries the vocals on a number of tracks, have seemingly diversified their sound by introducing elements of pop, psychedelia, tribal rhythms and grooves.
That’s right, this experimental duo have experimentally returned to the musical mainstream in what must be the safest bet this side of $10 on the sun to rise tomorrow.
Which isn’t to say that’s a bad thing. Experimental music is always in danger of sounding like a couple of meatheads who can’t play instruments, banging some rocks together and calling it music. By introducing known elements, but playing with them and presenting them in interesting ways, they’re forcing the mind to take a double take, hearing familiar sounds in unfamiliar settings.
This is probably best exemplified by Radio Stories where elements of esoteric sounds, vocal samples, funky bass jams and tape squeals intermingle and combine to great effect, a consistent, ebb and flow that resonates well, letting the mind complete the story.
Of course this doesn’t always work. Did Anything Happen sounds a bit like a stoned David Bowie impersonator, sitting about, saying what he sees like Randy Newman. That’s a rare lowlight though. Even some of the other more idiosyncratic tracks like Emergency have a driving energy throughout them that that compels, helping create a musical journey as the album progresses.
And, with the country inspired Strange New Shape, complete with Simon & Garfunkel overtones leading in to the rock balladish Goodbye Goodbye, you get a definite sense of this music leading somewhere.
This may not be for everyone but with an intelligent deconstruction of musical motifs and, most importantly, a good explication of musicianship, this is an interesting album where the few wrongs are overcome by the many rights. My one real criticism is that it doesn’t always go far enough and sometimes ends up relying on the musical modes it’s trying to reconfigure. Evocative and generally thoughtful, 3 Stars!
