An Albatross Blessphemy (of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite)
Ace Fu Records ACE037 June 27th, 2006
By Jason Jordan
King Crimson fanatics will embrace In the Court of the Bear King wholeheartedly until Lysergically Yours, My Psychedelic Bride blasts out of the speakers, and then theyll slowly back away from Blessphemy (of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite) till theyre out of earshot. In addition to normal, everyday instruments, this crazed outfit has employed a farfisa, Hammond organ, trumpet, trombone, and steel drums. Yes, An Albatross play quirky, fucked-up shit.
Though there are 18 tracks, the follow-up to full-length Eat Lightning, Shit Thunder and EP We Are the Lazer Viking isnt even half an hour long. Most songs are fast-paced, are punctuated with incomprehensible screams, and will have you thinking youre in a cartoon, on a 70s game show, or on a psychedelic acid trip. Unfortunately, it can be said that a large portion of Blessphemy (of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite) is a glorified mess sloppily assembled despite expert instrumental marksmanship. Still, due to good ol know-how, certain parts shine through with amazing clarity such as the tempo of Trust the Sun, the Symphonic Sunrise, the keyboard wizardry in Tussin and Turnin All Night, and the jittery nature of Hairobics. A few of the others do indeed fare well not total mishmashes yet are hard to recollect.
I imagine the intended audience will have no qualms with An Albatross, but I simultaneously envision Blessphemy (of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite) pissing off those who arent open to such experimental music, which has the potential to be incredibly annoying. Perhaps the epitome of the love-it-or-loathe-it release, this unusual group rests alongside fellow genre/style-mixers like Lucky Pineapple, Yakuza, Genghis Tron, Lye by Mistake, et al, so if any of the aforementioned are of interest to you, An Albatross may be worth checking out. The novelty of this disc overshadows its replay value which could be close to zilch for some but the accessibility of bands named after birds seems to be changing regardless.
6.5/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official An Albatross Website
Official Ace Fu Records Website
Ace Fu Records ACE037 June 27th, 2006
By Jason Jordan
King Crimson fanatics will embrace In the Court of the Bear King wholeheartedly until Lysergically Yours, My Psychedelic Bride blasts out of the speakers, and then theyll slowly back away from Blessphemy (of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite) till theyre out of earshot. In addition to normal, everyday instruments, this crazed outfit has employed a farfisa, Hammond organ, trumpet, trombone, and steel drums. Yes, An Albatross play quirky, fucked-up shit.
Though there are 18 tracks, the follow-up to full-length Eat Lightning, Shit Thunder and EP We Are the Lazer Viking isnt even half an hour long. Most songs are fast-paced, are punctuated with incomprehensible screams, and will have you thinking youre in a cartoon, on a 70s game show, or on a psychedelic acid trip. Unfortunately, it can be said that a large portion of Blessphemy (of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite) is a glorified mess sloppily assembled despite expert instrumental marksmanship. Still, due to good ol know-how, certain parts shine through with amazing clarity such as the tempo of Trust the Sun, the Symphonic Sunrise, the keyboard wizardry in Tussin and Turnin All Night, and the jittery nature of Hairobics. A few of the others do indeed fare well not total mishmashes yet are hard to recollect.
I imagine the intended audience will have no qualms with An Albatross, but I simultaneously envision Blessphemy (of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite) pissing off those who arent open to such experimental music, which has the potential to be incredibly annoying. Perhaps the epitome of the love-it-or-loathe-it release, this unusual group rests alongside fellow genre/style-mixers like Lucky Pineapple, Yakuza, Genghis Tron, Lye by Mistake, et al, so if any of the aforementioned are of interest to you, An Albatross may be worth checking out. The novelty of this disc overshadows its replay value which could be close to zilch for some but the accessibility of bands named after birds seems to be changing regardless.
6.5/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official An Albatross Website
Official Ace Fu Records Website
