STRINGY RUGS

BLAST is proof that there are a lot of crazy people in Holland. Haha. The reson I bought this cd was because Dave Kerman was part of the band at this point and I love his drumming. He doesn't disappoint either. Man this is an intense and over the top listen though. Difficult is the word. So angular and dissonant it's often hard to swallow let alone enjoy. It could take me 50 listens before I could fully understand and appreciate it. Or maybe that day would never come.

"E Se Di Questo Voi Dicere Piue" opens with drums, actually this track and the final one are the only songs where the drums aren't handled by Kerman as Rob Snuders guests behind the kit on these two. Horns and dissonance follow. Marimba and angular guitar come in too. It's heavy 31/2 minutes in. "Limbaire" features outbursts of sound that are contrasted with calmer sections. Nice bass before 2 minutes followed by dissonance. Kerman is excellent on this one. Sounds come and go late. "Outgrowth" has some vocals and lots of bottom end including the deep voice. It changes before 4 minutes to an experimental mode with guitar, spoken words and other strange sounds. It kicks back in before 5 1/2 minutes to that earlier soundscape with deep bass and vocals. "Litho 1" is a short tune with marimba sax and guitar.

"Communifade" has this epic intro with drums all over it as horns blast away. Kerman is amazing ! Check out the horns though, we get tuba, bugle, trumpet, sax and trombone in various sounds (bass, alto, baritone) ten in all. It settles 2 minutes in. Experimental sounds 5 minutes in. Drums return then horns bast. It settles 6 minutes in to a melancholic mood. "Bouncing" opens with deep bass and other sounds early. The drums become prominant then 2 1/2 minutes in, then we get no melody just sounds coming and going.The drums are back a minute later. Growly bass after 5 1/2 minutes. Weird sounds a minute later. "Ink" opens with angular guitar and horns. Spoken words before 2 minutes as marimba comes in. Lots of horns 5 1/2 minutes in to the end. "Litho 2" is another short tune like part 1 but with acoustic guitar, sax and marimba. "O.A.L.I." is quite powerful as Kerman pounds it out and we get lots of bass sounds in the soundscape. Guitar 2 1/2 minutes in before drums dominate then horns return. Crazy horns before it calms down. It kicks in one more time. "Tectonic Afterbirth" is very distracting for me. I just want to injure myself for some reason. Percussion, horns, miramba and guitar all come and go. I'm gone.

3 stars, although Rio / Avant fans will love this.

Third or fourth album from the craziest Dutch musicians, a few steps ahead of Supersister's quartet of nutcases or even Van Leer's clown-esque musical fantasies. The line-up sees an important change as another nutcase the US-man Dave Kerman (this man escaped the loonies drum and left his footprint all over the Rio-Copacabana sand beaches) and has stolen the drum stool, thus forcing the older Meneses to bow out, cos he refused to play drums standing up. Cool move, Dave. Luvya, man! Actually I'm only kidding because Dave only squats on 7 of the ten tracks, and there are loads of guest, including many horns. As if not enough to convince you of the madness, check out the album title and its visual illustrations on the cover?Imagine that music is rather suited to those, and you've got an idea as to how whacky this might sound and the possible permanent damage to your sanity?

The least we can say is that Kerman's arrival did nothing to calm the other three's zaniness, quite the opposite as the opening Questo picks a few step further than the closing Wire album Or-Na-Ra-Tio track had left things of. The album is much crazier than WSE, but you can still hear Henry Cow and Debile Menthol, but you might have to add Wondeur Brass, Miriodor and Volapuk as aural reference points, but staying more accessible and melodic than Uz Jse Doma. IMHO, the album is at its most inventive in Comunifade, although it gets even more experimental further on, but not necessarily more successful. Sometimes truly mind-boggling, but never insufferable, even though I wouldn't use this album to try to get comfy and promiscuous with the missus. Don't say I didn't warn you about those atypical Dutch un-neo- prog guys.