SWARM

Out of Mimicry Records comes a kind of action movie soundtrack à la Pulp Fiction or, as the album art indicates, a soundtrack appropriate for a modern King Kong movie--kind of Dick Dale meets Frank Zappa and the Pink Martinis on Broadway. The songs are all instrumentals and--did I mention--very soundtrack-ready (now somebody, please, make the movie!) though wordless voices are occasionally used in the mix as another instrument ("Passenger"). There are few with some klezmer feels to them ("Penumbra," "Heraklion," "Nerve Agents" and "Rhythm Futur"). The use of horns, accordions, heavily treated guitars, and many odd "incidentals" to augment the standard rock lineup is rather creative and refreshing. The band's leader is Jason Schimmel--formerly of acclaimed bands ESTRADASPHERE and THE ORANGE TULIP CONSPIRACY. I really enjoy every song--they all make me smile, they all make me want to dance, they're all unusual, quirky and, yes, freshly entertaining, but my favorites include:

Favorite songs: the Dick Dale-influenced opener, "Red Tide" (4:22); the hilarious 60s Samba "party movie" parody, "The Blind Snake Charmer" (4:38)--which could easily fit into a 60s James Bond or 70s Pink Panther movie (8/10); the eery, down tempo "Cabin of The Cursed" (3:58); the nearly KARDA ESTRA-like "Passenger" (4:14), and; the hip and upbeat "Refraction" (3:06).

A smile-a-minute masterpiece of perfect-for-a-soundtrack songs who just happen to be without a screen companion. Perhaps Hollywood will find this extremely talented orchestra and hook 'em up!

4.5 stars. We'll wait a while to see if this deserves to be remembered and treated as a "masterpiece of progressive rock music" as I'm not completely certain it fully belongs to the prog catalogue. But, then, there are The Cardiacs . . .