I appreciate the acoustic and slightly melancholic atmospheres of this alternative country singer-songwriter. Although I re-listen to this album periodically, I'm not particularly fond of the songs, which seem to lack substance and radio appeal, except for "Waltz #2" and "Pictures of Me."
Short review:
This album is
- Tedious
- Complicated
- Cacophonic
- Incomprehensible
Complete review:
This album is
- Tedious: yes, it relies heavily on dilated and rarefied atmospheres, demonstrating an understanding of the teachings of Miles Davis and Frank Zappa. Compared to Soft Machine's first two albums, it seems as if someone told them: "Don't rush, let us hear something more complicated than your (wonderful) sonic miniatures!"
- Complicated: yes, 4/4 isn't found on this album; there are splendid jams orchestrated in 7/4, 9/4, and even 15/16 time signatures, but always with naturalness and precision. Even the only sung track, "Moon in June," is long and intricate, like a complex operatic aria.
- Cacophonic: Yes, along with rhythmic experimentation, there's plenty of scope for exploring disturbing timbres (distorted Mellotron, amplified sax, etc.) and intervals with clusters, as well as exotic or whole-tone scales that would later characterize Matching Mole.
- Incomprehensible: Yes, even after several listens, I can't quite understand this shift of style and poetics, but each time I feel captivated and completely absorbed in trying to grasp a further nuance of this transitory episode from one of the greatest English groups.
I wish every listener the patience and open-mindedness to not stop at the surface.