a r t i s t : Drakkar Sauna
t i t l e : Jabraham Lincoln
d a t e : 2007
l a b e l : Marriage Records
c a t : MAR034
s o u r c e : Promo
g e n r e : Folk
r l s. d a t e : 2007-03-09
t r a c k s : 12
b i t r a t e : 184 kbps avg
s i z e : 66.83MB
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You will be forgiven for not knowing what to expect from this record, and
listening to it might not give you any more of a sense of what its about
than you previously had. Beginning with a song that you canÆt quite
pinpoint, and certainly will be unable to describe properly to anyone else,
this Kansas duo immediately set the stage for the record. Welcoming both
klezmer and flamenco elements, ôTeach Me Your Legsö will remind you of
Animal Collective one second, with the powerful harmonies swelling to the
point of breaking, except instead of a tribal denouement, the track
transforms into a marching band sound which will tickle the fancies of
Elephant 6 fans.
The smorgasbord that opens the record is followed up by a much simpler
track, one that again features the jovial harmonies of the bandÆs two
central images. The rather simplistic lyrics of ôDecoy Schmecoyö, which run
ôactually you have a nice body/actually you have a nice voiceö recall the
better pure-pop moments of the Gerbils, and the musical tone of the track
follows suit.
Unfortunately this strong opening is not supported by what follows, as the
third and fourth track veer far from the path set by the first two tracks
and tamper with might as well be two buddies sitting bar-side singing
aimlessly. Luckily the aim of the album is restored with ôGet Kazoo Peopleö,
a quietly beautiful work of experimentation worthy of a Gang Gang Dance
recording.
Unfortunately, in what seems to be this bandÆs goal, the next pair of songs
are a completely different venture and return the album to the pits of
slovenly sing-alongs. All is not lost however, as the jovial lyrics and
start-stop instrumentation of ôThereÆs Not Enough Tits on a Wolfö create a
genuinely interesting, and most importantly for this record, listenable
experiment in song-writing. If there is one thing this band does better than
anyone, itÆs defy any predefined song structures. If verse-chorus-verse is
your fetish, this is a castration.
The album varies so greatly in music and lyrics that amongst all the bands
IÆve already mentioned, a certain Waitsian element comes through here and
there, a testament to the bands willingness to mix things up. I should
clarify that the only way that Waits is recalled here is the sandpaper with
which the music is produced as tracks often have a deep murky production
often furthered by sinister shakers (particularly on the 9th track titled
simply ô.ö).
As the album began, so it ends, as the final three tracks (including album
highlight ôOm, John Surratö which features some fine whistling) are all very
strong combinations of klezmer elements as well as the sugary sweet pop of
bands like The Gerbils. The vocal harmonies remain, as does the general
sense of camaraderie between the two band members.
The album ends without either being established as a lead member; neither
voice is more prominent at any point, and no particular sound wins out. This
is to the credit of the album, which if not for its extreme variations which
sometimes reach pleasant waters, could easily be mistaken for the recording
of a drunken night of karaoke.
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01-Teach Me Your Legs [ 3:12 ]
02-Decoy Schmecoy [ 3:38 ]
03-Carefully Procedured In The Darkest Night [ 4:18 ]
04-Paul's Letter To St. Job (There's Glass In My Hat) [ 4:13 ]
05-Get Kazoo People [ 1:38 ]
06-Mongrel Of A Halfman Slave Bitch [ 3:10 ]
07-You Left Me Liberty [ 5:54 ]
08-There's Not Enough Tits On A Wolf [ 4:15 ]
09-(Secret Track) [ 0:56 ]
10-Om, John Surratt Listen [ 4:15 ]
11-Abandon Life [ 9:05 ]
12-Outro (Weeks Of Speaking) [ 2:12 ]
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46:46 min