Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams

Occasionally known by the name of their lead singer, Joziah Longo, this exuberant quartet had been touring from America to China (literally!), spreading their off-kilter perspectives across the country and around the world. On this five-song collection of Slambovian gospel, Joziah, Sharkey, Tink, and Tony offer other-minded polemics about the state of the genius, the trials of the lonely (often the same thing, but dealt with separately here), and covert uprising in rhythmic arrangements of various tempos which feature occasional blues harp and accordion tousling with Longo's hesitant, foggy whines. Though "Someday" consists of an interminable roundabout and "Slambovic" an unsurprisingly nonsensical mish-mush, the EP begins promisingly enough with the clever pop of "Silent Revolution," the Nirvana-esque bereavement "Genius," and the beautifully sad "Never Fit." Left on their own, the first three tracks make for a nice sample of a promising and unashamedly different band. Unfortunately, the musical cliff falls off sharply after that.