THE LOST & FOUND

If you ever wondered what Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" sounded like delivered with cello, programmed drum sequences and off-kilter female vocals by a chick who jammed to the original as a Midwestern teenager dreaming of getting out of the heartland and making it big, then this is your record.

Rasputina was pretty much reduced to a Melora Creager solo act by the time this EP released in 2001. She hadn't quite mastered her talent yet for crafting witty and often theatrical compositions centered around a combination of historical and seemingly autobiographical themes either. But she was already skilled in putting her unique cello- driven spin on traditional, pop and rock classics, something she showed an early penchant for on the first few Rasputina studio releases.

This was a self-produced, self-released EP that filled the gap between her Columbia Records days and a stint with the Instinct label. In addition to the Floyd classic she also offers an interpretation of Marilyn Manson's "Tourniquet" complete with tortured cello, more percussion sequencing and schizophrenic vocals that veer perilously between torrid and helium-driven.

Creager has recorded several traditional tunes of various origins, and the one included here is possibly her oddest choice ever: a raging recitation of the children's nursery rhyme "This Little Piggy". But things get somewhat better quickly with a spacey and quite inspired version of the Velvet Underground breakthrough single "All Tomorrow's Parties" on which she performs at least three vocals parts in addition to hypnotic, almost droning cello strands.

The record wraps up with a clever rework of the Led Zeppelin IV classic "Rock and Roll". As with "Wish You Were Here" she does an admirable job of translating bluesy guitar riffs to the cello, stretching the limits of what I thought was possible with that instrument.

This isn't a timeless classic, or even the best stuff Rasputina or Creager ever did; in fact, it's not even close. It is a worthy collector piece for fans and therefore a two star effort, but not much more for the broader music-fan community. The EP would be reissued with a couple additional tracks two years later after Rasputina scored a contract with Instinct; more about that version later. In the meantime hunt this down if you are a fan or a really obsessive Floyd fanatic; otherwise skip it.

peace