Infidel?/Castro!/Friendly Bears "split" LP
[Rice Control]
Infidel?/Castro! begins their side of this LP at 45rpm with one song, "The 49-day Period Between Lives (Memories and Premonitions)": A bizarre concoction that apparently combines material from the band's past and future works, the result of which is as much an experimental noise piece as anything. There are of course tangible passages of musical instrumentation, but much of the track is a mishmash of dark ambient soundscapes and chaotic arrangements that sound like Sissy Spacek meets Mr. Bungle. The goal of this material is to "convey a mindset of transition and confusion between death and reincarnation", according to the insert. They've got the confusion element down, but while I'm not certain the weight of their ideas is conveyed here, I certainly respect the fact that they do have concrete ideas that they are working with in this context, as it makes the material far more interesting. I actually like the delivery of this song a lot better than the band's prior work, as everything maintains a consistent atmosphere, integrating samples deep into the various layers of texture and flowing relatively well between dynamics. The only think I dislike is the abrupt ending, which feels incomplete. Friendly Bears take 33rpm for their side, and include four tracks of strange jazzy math rock type material using percussion, guitar, baritone guitar, and trumpet (courtesy of Candiria's Tim Byrnes). I could go either way here, as certain passages are pretty cool in their staggered rhythms and time changes, and others relaxing in their jazz-influenced fluidity. But at the same time some of the guitar riffs just feel sort of obnoxious, likely intentionally so, but nonetheless, it is disruptive. I guess it sort of sounds like "screwing around" music where you can tell the musicians are very capable, and there's a little bit of an improvisational element, but it just kind of gives off the impression that they're not giving it their all because they don't feel that they have to. I could be totally off on that, but it feels that way to me on occasion. You get a sense of the technicality involved, but it doesn't represent itself to its fullest potential is all. The recording is okay. The trumpet sounds very good, and I like the dry, natural sound of the other instruments, but it sort of feels like something is missing. I miss the bass presence a lot. A good bass player could make a hell of a difference here. The full-color sleeve is as bizarre as the music. What looks like an x-ray twists and turns into a strange burst of faintly saturated color on the Infidel?/Castro! Side, while the Friendly Bears side shows a drawing of a bear flying through space with three little girls tagging along behind him. Go figure. One small insert is included (xeroxed onto marbled light brown/yellow paper), with some tiny illustrations for each band, as well as lineup and recording information, etc. Nothing flashy. Friendly Bears isn't really my thing, but then again, it's only a few steps to the side of being something that I would absolutely love. So it's a tossup there. But Infidel?/Castro! has certainly made a leap forward with their track on this LP, so if you liked their past work, I would suggest giving this a shot. I'm curious to see what they'll do next. (6/10)
Running time - 25:00 (approximately), Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: The 49-day Period Between Lives (Memories and Premonitions), Daughter Laughter]
Rice Control - http://www.vegan.net/~forbes/ricecontrol/

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