SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM

The music sound more structured than before, even 'symphonic' from time to time, without neglecting the innovation and originality. One of the best tracks here is 'Angle of Repose', by Carla. A wonderful epic (mini-epic if you wish), featuring Carla on lead vocals and violin. The violin section in the middle is furious, full of energy. In a way it reminds me of Kate Bush's 'Jig of Life' from the "Hounds of love" album. But try to imagine this with a dose of speed and energy.

The overall atmosphere is much more solemn than this particular track, and the top of this maybe 'The Salt Crown' (song by Nils, music by all band). This song moves between two emotional edges, from very quite and painful to the loudness of heavy metal and growls, with philosophical thoughts of death as reflected in vision of stones and bones. Objects that changed hands, between the live one and the dead one, could not be given back to the original owner eventually. This painful reality experienced by all who lost a close and dear person, and it expressed so well in this impressive, powerful song.

To the darkness department belong also 'The Companions', 'Helpless Corpses Enactment', and 'The Greenless Wreath'. 'The Companions' is a slowly build track, up to the climax and back again to the bottom of solemnity. A trumpet plays a tune from a Mexican tradition song, opens and returns toward the end of this track. 'Helpless Corpses Enactment' based on lyrics by James Joyce. Even revolutionary Joyce didn't dream that one day his magnificent words would be shout and growled in a metal style, by a rock band. This track got much more music than it seems from first listenings. (Pardon, I'm not acquainted with metal style and it's derivations). 'The Greenless Wreath' contains interesting motives that sounds like requiem pray, start with pounding drums, and what sound to me like viola da gamba. After the trembling and tremolo sounds, as a background to the very melodic line, comes the same funeral motives, in a more rockish way.

Another 'feature' that could not be overlooked, are the phone messages from Per Frikdahl (mostly), that embedded along this album. It is rewarding to realize, and sure enough not at the first listens, how these mini art works inspired the band lyrically and musically.

A minor lack that I found here nevertheless is that in my opinion, toward the album end, there is a tendency to move to another matters and atmosphere which dim a little bit from the strong point of the album's end. But shortening this album in that manner means to drop some other excellent tracks, so it is very much a matter of an acquired taste.

In all, the music here is powerful, emotion oriented, and wonderfully built. The melodies are prominent, the harmonies are intricate, and the structures are stable. The concept works very well. There is high musicianship between all members, they all play very tight and in a high group feeling and the vocals are great. The minor lack I've mentioned before does not decrease from my final rating: 5 stars, without any hesitation.

So why is this album a letdown in comparison to the last two? I'm actually not really sure but from what I've heard the band abandoned their homemade instruments for the more conventional ones on this record and that has definitely something to do with it. But that in itself was the result of signing to The End Records.

Let's just hope that Sleepytime Gorilla Museum will achieve a new creative peak with their next release!

***** star songs: Helpless Corpses Enactment (5:57)

**** star songs: The Companions (10:06) Formicary (5:52) Ossuary (4:37) Greenless Wreath (6:50) Widening Eye (5:24) Putrid Refrain (3:01)

*** star songs: Puppet Show (4:16) Angle Of Repose (7:23) Salt Crown (8:27) Only Dance (5:21)

Total rating: 3,71

***** star songs: The Donkey-Headed Adversary Of Humanity Opens The Discussion (6:01) FC: The Freedom Club (10:48) The Creature (6:00) Gunday's Child (6:56) Cockroach (2:12)

*** star songs: A Hymn To The Morning Star (5:40) Phthisis (3:44) Bring Back The Apocalypse (4:10) The 17-Year Cicada (3:41) What Shall We Do Without Us? (2:38) Babydoctor (13:59)

*** star songs: Hiddentrack (5:56)

Total Rating: 4,36

What makes this album worth two stars instead of one is its ability to occasionally fascinate me with all of its weirdness. As a result, sometimes I will voluntarily listen to this album when I'm in the mood for something very creative and different. Unfortunately, many songs are worth skipping. This album includes, for better or for worse, a lot of odd time signatures with odd starts and stops. The arrangements aren't very typical either. Just look at what the band members play! Food container, "thing", popping turtle- this is very different music! There are borderline experimental/prog metal sections in addition to lighter sections (unfortunately) with unlistenable feminine vocals. There are some points where the vocals go so high that her voice can't hold the note, and she has a voice crack. Yet, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum decided to leave that on the album. Sadly, the male vocals aren't any better. It's simply lower pitched screaming that is completely unbearable.

Well, the people who are singing the lyrics certainly don't do it well, but I can't write this review without dedicating a paragraph to the awful lyrics. None of the lyrics here can be taken seriously, and they are actually some of the worst I've ever heard. While there isn't a single good lyric in the entire album, I'll just point out some of the worst. From the song "Powerless" comes this awful quote; "Finding some shoes. Losing you feet/Finding some food. Losing your teeth". The next quote is from "Ablutions"; "She hangs her skin up by the window and looks to see that all the doors are open". I've heard more than enough times that this is an intelligent and intellectual band, but the lyrics certainly don't prove it, even if it were to be true.

"Sleep is Wrong"- This is one of the few decent songs on the album. It starts out pretty weird, but about a minute in begins a complex section that sounds very promising. It experiments with odd time signatures and an awesome complex melody. This turns into a heavy section with just a repeated note with odd starts and stops. The singing is absolutely horrendous, but the reprise of the opening is very good. It is a good song where, unfortunately, the singing ruins almost the entire experience.

"Ambugaton"- This is by far the best song on "Grand Opening and Closing". It is almost completely instrumental, so the singing can't ruin this one like it did to the last song. This isn't nearly as weird as the other tracks, and is almost a standard prog metal song. This is a great song simply because it has no awful vocals and isn't quite as experimental. I wish the whole album would be like this.

"Ablutions"- A good thing can never last. After an excellent previous track, we have this unlistenable mess. This possibly has the worst lyrics on the album, and that is no small feat. The singing begins with the awful female vocals I mentioned earlier. The melody goes way too high for her range, and she can't even hold the note. Then later, the male vocals begin screaming pointlessly, and destroy the song even more. This is a perfect example of where singing can ruin a song. The music, even though it drags on too long, isn't that bad, but the singing turns this into a disastrous mess.

"1997"- Significantly better than the last track. This has pretty bad lyrics with unnecessary profanity, but the vocals don't seem as horrible here. The screaming is actually used pretty well because it fits the tone of the song. The music is more straightforward, which I find to be a plus for this band. It still has an experimental rock/metal feel, but it is much better.

"The Miniature"- This is a very short almost classical-like piece of music. I wish that more of the album would have used this sound. While it is pretty boring, it is far better than some of the other stuff on this album.

"Powerless"- This has okay moments, but definitely didn't need to run for over 9 minutes. The brief choruses are pretty cool, but most of the song is passable at best. One minute near the end there is what sounds like a cool jam session. But just when you think something good will come out of this song, both vocalists start annoyingly screaming "LA LA LA LA LA!!!!!!". It ends oddly, and this is almost a completely terrible song, possibly the worst on the album.

"The Stain"- From the awful lyric "The man is thin and hungry because he's lazy/The seeds are sprouting in my garden" to the wannabe music, there's only one thing to say about this song. Skip it!

"Sleepytime"- This has a very strange and oddly intriguing opening that shows how both voices can sing if they actually try. After 5 minutes it gets pretty repetitive, but it introduces a new section with a cool build. This is far too long for the small amount of material that is in it, but it is a very good song. About 6 minutes in it has a guitar solo that almost reminds me of something from Yes. This is one of the better songs on the album, but of course, it isn't without its flaws.

"Sunflower"- This is almost 8 minutes long, but could easily get away with being 2 or 3. It's extremely repetitive, has no buildup, and just has a boring melody using psychedelic instruments. I never listen to this one.

Grand Opening and Closing falls into the "what could have been" category. It has some cool musical parts, but is ruined by the lyrics and singing. If this were all instrumental with some repetitive sections cut out, this could be worth a three, and maybe a four if I was feeling extra nice. It's clear there are some skilled musicians here with good ideas. You just need to get past an album where at least half of it is unlistenable, and the other half is decent at best. This album pretty much defines the two star rating: Collectors/Fans ONLY. This will only appeal to fans of the Avant prog genre. This won't convert you to the genre if you don't already like it. So, people like me, stay away from this one!

2/5 stars.

I'll start with the lyrics. "Let us dream the impossible dream, of a math professor", awesome quote, how completely childish of this group! I was once told by a member on the forum here that this group was intellectual and challenging. If by that quote, and "The future sticks out it's tongue", and "we trained it to eat it's own feces" is intellectual, then I am truly at a loss as to what the meaning of the word is. The most God awful lyricism, to an otherwise good concept, it's tear jerkingly sad.

The music. Theater prog. Junior high drama class prog. When I first heard the Donkey headed adversary, I honestly was impressed, definitely not a bad song, but besides those redeeming three first minutes, the whole album tanks. With the opening song the first image that pops into my head is a clown, singing in this big goofy voice "open your heart" to a bunch of children with big smiles on their faces. I don't know about you, but that's not the image I should be seeing when I listen to "dark", "disturbing", Avant Garde music, and it's pitiful that that's what I think of. Definitely one of the parts that makes me cringe the most is on the cockroach song when the lead singer just belts out "COCKROACH" like some disney character in the next dreamworks movie. The musicality doesnt even redeem itself, with all the goofy noises, and weird instruments, I'd rather call it Mariachi than avant garde.

Garbage, a black stain on my musical listening record. Bring on the "living on a prayer", cause that (to me) sounds much better than any of the songs I had the displeasure of hearing on this album. Congratulations Sleepytime Gorilla Museum in the making of "of natural history", for it receives my first one star review!

Of Natural History is in my book the most challenging and impressive record I have ever heard. The production is so perfect that you hardly think of it as a record when listening to it, it's all so seamlessly mixed together that your focus never strays from the music and lyrics. To think that people can come together and create something this complex, intelligent(yes, I maintain that this is in fact a "smart" record) and beautiful, makes me wonder what music the future will bring.

The music of SGM is impossible to describe, and should be experienced, not told about. Their style always leave me with a sense of completeness, that the music couldn't possibly be in any other form.

There isn't much to add to the landslide of praise this album has received here, but mark my words: If you like this album, you will love it like no other.

A modern masterpiece in all senses.

5/5

Oh RIO, how many people this subgenre has touched over the years. This is one of the categories that is at the same time both criminally underrated and overrated, as it has many critics and many fanboys who would gladly take a bullet for it. The genre is usually ripe with dissonance and experimentation which leads the more melodic listeners to run and take shelter while the people who enjoy it will step out into the acid rain and say it tastes like rainbows. But if there's one thing everyone can agree on it's that this kind of music is normally very strange (which, contrary to popular belief does NOT automatically make it ''innovative'') and very much an acquired taste. With Of Natural History, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum [SGM] have created a wonderful opus that will both make the RIO connoisseurs jump for joy and give the more hesitant listeners a place to start with the genre.

One of the best things about this band is there very unique approach to the music that they play. Rock In Opposition (RIO), as stated before, is usually very lacking in melody and derives its audience from wild experimentation. SGM is often called MIO (Metal In Opposition) by a lot of people who have the chance to hear them, but even that may be an inaccurate statement while actually listening closely to the music. SGM have managed to blend RIO with a good amount of symphonic and very melodic tenancies with the chugging power of industrial music to make for a headbanging album which is still experimental and highly impressive. Instrumental sections to the album will not only flow but bash their way through the song in a way that grabs you and takes you along for the ride. The prime example of this is the excellent Bring Back The Apocalypse, driven by a good amount of fast chimes and drums until we get to a very beatarific ending in which the ''bring it, bring it back'' chanting begins and all hope is lost for those who don't know what to expect from the band.

The vocals are surprisingly a draw point to the album. Although gruff, the vocals add a surprising amount, especially with the two singer combo. The switch between the male and female leads make for an eclectic mix which is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. After the bludgeoning raw power of The Donkey-Headed Adversary Of Humanity Opens The Discussion it's nice to go into the slow, but no less unsettling Phthisis which is voiced by Carla Kihlstedt (who sounds a lot like a twisted Bjork who has been locked in an insane-asylum for too long). The percussion is the other part of the band which really keeps things moving, especially in songs like Phthisis where it is damn near the only thing which keeps things together (and I mean that in a good way).

Other standouts on the album are plentiful. Most of the songs do tend to run together since the album is a concept album (which other reviews have gone into in cryptic detail, so I won't), but there's still a number of songs that work very well on their own. The who epics on the album which reach over 10-minutes are each very impressive. FC: The Freedom Club is a song that starts out slow and melodic but turns into one of the most dissonant songs on the album with the drums still managing to hold everything together - like a tornado which rips across the countryside, its debris does a lot of damage, but there's still one main force. Babydoctor is a much different beast, this one is a considerably slower to get going, but when it does it finally explodes with the force of a bomb. If you're not expecting it, well... prepare to be wiped out. The Creature works in tandem with it's intro instrumental, the incredibly creepy The 17-Year Cicada to go through a mostly spoken-word like story which is obviously a metaphor for something (and the political views shine through yet again). Gunday's Child is another Carla Kihlstedt voiced track which is a lot more frantic and desperate than the last song she voiced, but still it sounds like you're standing in the mansion from The Shining looking down the hallway to two girls who can only say to you, ''hello Danny...'' (or whatever your name is).

For people who like things heavy and experimental will be over the moon with this album, and people who don't fancy themselves masters of RIO will still be able to get into the album thanks to the way it's been done. A fair warning though, don't expect anything going into this album, because you're not going to get it. Expect the unexpected I suppose would be the cliche line to add in here. 4 cockroaches out of 5 for a wild ride which everyone should take at some point or another.

Personal favorite tracks include The Donkey-Headed Adversary and Gunday's Child. Donkey-Headed caters to the side of me which enjoys heavier music, and the instrumentation on Gunday's Child really reminds me of a mixture of early and late King Crimson styles. Plus, the singers/vocalists are both (all?) interesting. All in all, I'd say that this is a band I'm definitely going to be paying more attention to, and I hope to see more output from them in the future. I'm tempted to say it's a masterpiece, because in my opinion there's barely a weak moment on the album; plus the band is, as I said earlier, mostly unique...I can't manage to give them anything less than a 5-star rating. If I was going by percentages, I'd probably give it somewhere between a 93-97%. If bands like this are what I should come to expect for the new face of prog, I'm incredibly excited.

Edit: Upon further listens, while the album is good, I can't justify keeping it at masterpiece status. Down to 4 stars, as it's still an incredible album, but I don't believe it to be among the very best anymore. (5/5/09)

This debut from Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, while sometimes good, merely hints at the awesomeness that would be mastered and fully realized on the follow up "Of Natural History". On this album, the listener is treated with mostly bland songs that focus too much on their avant quirks and too little on their actual structures and deliveries. The overall result is an album held hostage, the album that could have been. Disappointing, surely, but still not wholly unnecessary. While sometimes bland and repetitive, "Grand Opening and Closing" certainly has some good moments, and good hints at what this band would become with later releases.

Now, the music:

The problem, in terms of quality, on this album lies mostly with pacing and organization, although certainly there are a few mediocre tracks that help this along. The album feels much less like an actual album, and much more like a collection of songs or EPs, which it likely is, considering that it is but a debut. Promising at times, conventional at others (this word is not at all a compliment to an album that is supposed to be pushing boundaries in the avant-garde). Many praise the opener, "Sleep Is Wrong", which I feel is rather bland and faceless, especially when stacked up against the two following tracks, "Ambugaton" and "Ablutions", which, incidentally, both begin with the letter "A," which hints towards the quality of these tracks.

The album is just faced with too many blunders to work well, especially when clocking in at nearly an hour in length. It is too clunky and boringly paced to merit full listens, and the tracks are mostly too mediocre to hold much interest beyond a few minutes. The train of thought on this album is all over the place, one could say, and the lack of focus--something that can pay off in some avant music--does little but hold this one back even further.

Some relief is present in moments in tracks like "Powerless" and "Sleepytime", but the concluding minutes of "Sunflower" just seem awkward and overlong, a testament that serves rather well in summing up what this whole album seems to achieve.

It is probably not as bad as I am making it out to be, but when compared with "Of Natural History" and even the lesser "In Glorious Times" it wilts solemnly and goes to hide itself in a corner. Worth the buy for fans alone, and therefore worth 2 stars.

This is one is light-years above the predecessor. Of Natural History is actually near perfect, in terms of what this band can pull off. It is only hindered by the few throwaway tracks contained within it. If you know nothing of this band, here's a short refresher course: they are a very unique avant-garde band that draws comparisons only with label-mates Unexpect or pseudo-former band Idiot Flesh. Their music is spastic, yet gradual, and usually rather quirky (as is the nature of much avant-garde music). Their first album, Grand Opening and Closing, was unbalanced and did little to achieve its full potential, and this is their second, and best album thus far.

Now, the music:

The opening track Hymn to the Morning Star is a slow moving one--immediately hard to get into, mostly thanks to the vocals--which take some getting used to. The avant influence is much more immediately present on this album than on their first. The song climbs, with choirs, odd and bass-heavy middle sections, and melodramatic vocals, and ends with what is essentially the intro to track two.

The Donkey Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Book is one hell of a track. It moves psychedelically, winding in and out of it's heavy and Celtic-like moments--full of odd, speculative timing--and then into a neat little plucked-string/vocal call-response section. It is, without a doubt, the first of many highlights on this album. This one's a thriller--the proper "opening" to the album, and gives a good taste of what this band can pull off.

Phthisis features the wonderful vocals of Carla--a nice change and a great track, built off an interesting sort of vocal-to-instrument call and response session.

Bring Back the Apocalypse is a bit underwhelming to me...sounding rather forced during most of it, at least lyrically. The music is fine, but is nothing truly spectacular. This track is heavily percussion/background-noise built, and the intention muddling gives it a unique, tense feel, which--incidentally--is great, considering the next track, which it leads into.

FC: The Freedom Club is a long, glorious, mysterious ride through this band's talent, including dual male/female vocals, mysterious chord structures, nice escalations and wind-downs, and nifty instrumentation all the while...It is heavy-laden with an almost drone-inducing atmosphere, and is one of the few pieces I've heard that really sounds "brought to life". For me, this is quite possibly the standout track on the album.

Gunday's Child is a nice track that begins with a gentle guitar riff and soft effects with odd melodies behind it. The whole song builds off of this gentle nature--and ends up sounding a bit like Satan's Toy Factory might sound...in a very amusing, fun, and interesting--quirky--way. This one stands out, once again, because of the interesting choice for Carla on lead vocals, which is always a pleasure.

The 17 Year Cicada is an odd filler, instrumental track with percussive, tribal rhythms and many odd effects closing it out. By far the weakest track on the album, barring the final, "hidden" track. The Creature is a another fun, standout, haunting track. I like this one a lot. It is extremely effective, once again, in the atmosphere department, and features the vocals of Dan Rathbun (who will be known for his producing this band, building their many "original" instruments, as well as for playing bass). Gentle, disturbing, and brilliantly played, this one stands out.

What Shall He Do Without Us is a wonderful little intermediary track that is short, but brilliantly written, and again features the voice of Carla--something that's more a motif on this album than the first. The track has a neat little climax with fast riffs and demonic fun spread all around, then lets off with some silly speech near the end. Babydoctor is a long one, yet a great one--as can be told from the start. This one--much like "FC: The Freedom Club" seems to breathe itself to life, like an uncanny machine stuttering on fuel that suddenly becomes fully invigorated. It is a suite of tension, atmosphere, and haunting mobility, and serves as a very interesting choice for the climax-track of the album.

The Cockroach is a nice, ironic closer to the album, with ironic lyrics and melodramatic vocals attached. Very nicely done, and what I consider to be the proper "ending" of the album. Hidden Track, which, incidentally, is not so hidden, is nothing but ambiance and conversation, and neither adds nor detracts from the album as a whole. Still, it will seem extremely useless unless you're listening through headphones and following the concept--which I won't spoil here.

Overall, this is a superb effort from Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and, while not without a few weaker moments, it is effectively delivered and works very well as a consistent whole. While not perfect, I'd easily rate it something near 8.8/10 or so, which doesn't quite scratch 5 stars on this scale, so I'll settle for 4 stars instead.