Math & Science - s/t

Name: Math & Science

Album: s/t

Year: 2001

Style: Smooth Pop

Similar Bands: Inflatable Men, The Eels, Apples In Stereo/Marbles, Bicycle, Lincoln, Fountains Of Wayne, Lightning Seeds, Marxy

"One Word" Review: Shiny Harmless Computer Pop

Based out of: Indianapolis, IN -> LA, CA

Label: Brick Red Records

  Math & Science: Cover (source: Amazon)

 Math & Science: CD & CD tray

Math & Science: Back

Math & Science (2001)

1. Disguise 3:50
2. Words 3:23
3. She Left Me 3:38
4. Soundbite 4:21
5. Eternity 4:00
6. Cool Me Down 3:48
7. Airstream On The Highway 3:18
8. Naked 4:31
9. In Your Movie 3:09
10. Forget About Here 4:03
11. Fifteen 3:42
12. Digitize 2:54

Album Rating (1-10): 9.0

Members & Other Bands:

John Wolf - Instrumentation, Producer (PJ Olssen, Crumb)

Aram Arslanian - Organ (PJ Olssen, Champion)

Goldo [Paul Goldowitz] - Scratching (Ye Olde English)

Phil Blackman - Mixing

Marina Chavez - Photography

Kristin Hambsch - Creative Director

David Mitson - Mastering

Janet Wolsborn - Art Direction

Peggy Zier - Logo Design

Unknown-ness: I must have heard of these guys back in 2001, but never paid attention to them. I got their album as a coverless cut out in a discount bin, but I have no idea what it is like. I must have liked something about it to buy the album back then, so I’m going to assume it is some catchy pop. With a name like Math & Science, perhaps it is complex, calculated math rock, which would live up to the nerdy/geeky & old fashioned nature of the album art.

Album Review: The album is pretty catchy pop-rock, with a concentration of electronic flurries and smooth production. It is basically a one man show on this album, it seems he is still using the moniker M&S and has a new(ish) album on bandcamp.

“Disguise” has a fun Apples in Stereo (especially their 2010’s Travelers in Space & Time) fade up, and electronic futuristic approach. Smooth, meek, nearly computerized vocals, overlayered for the chorus. But the dancy tune is instantly catchy and completely approachable. The delivery in the chorus is fulfilling as it explodes.

“Words” has a Lincoln-esq wha-wha, jammy band bass line, and is more straightforward pop. Again, the vocals are light and fey, and they again explode in the chorus with energy and sound. The melody is fun to follow along with and the chorus is a nice building hook. After two segments, they have a reprise of the melody slightly rearrange, but identifiably similar. The repetition of the chorus at the end solidifies the hook in your head. It ends with a fade out of the chorus spoken through a computer vocoder minus the music accompaniment.

“She Left Me” is a slower lament, but still has shiny production. It feels like the sadness in the vocals are leading somewhere, but they don’t really ever get there. The chorus feels exactly like Fountains of Wayne. No other way to describe it.

“Soundbite” has a liquidy Apples in Stereo pop guitar hook. The vocals are whispering in your ear, but come off as clear as sunshine. This song sounds like Fountains of Wayne covering a Lightning Seeds song, particularly in the side to side grooving chorus. The bridge that leads up to the chorus builds the anticipation nicely, even chipping in a dramatic pause or a glittery keyboard flourish.

“Eternity” is a nerdy computer programmed love song. It has a great build, but at the same time, its non-threatening nature is unparalleled. It floats along on mechanical, wobbly cloudy bursts of glee. There is a certain programmed aspect of this song that dates it to a type of production that was popular in the indie-pop music of the early aughts.

“Cool Me Down” is exactly as it sounds. The vocals come down from the euphoric high of the previous song. There is a summertime in the suburbs feel to the song, perhaps a dance in a sprinkler or an open hydrant via the twinkling keyboard and soothing vocals. Then the song breaks tradition and becomes energetic with a higher octave reprise of the chorus that just shows the depth of which M&S is capable. It comes back at the end of the song for a great “remember this” visit and expansion.

“Airstream On The Highway” is a head nodding groove with slightly distorted vocals and a care free atmosphere. Again, this song paints a picture that parallels the topic of the song very well, even throwing in a harmonic for a middle America cross country trip feel. The song ends with more harmonica.

“Naked” is sung through a bucket, and keeps that harmonica going. This is a darker, simpler groove that is grittier than the rest of the album.

“In Your Movie” is a funky guitar distorted and scratched pop song. The vocals are waveringly polite, and the melody flows very organically. As was popular in the time, there are a bunch of unnecessary record scratching sounds. This song sounds just like anything on the s/t album by Bicycle, which probably no one else would remember. The chorus features a mash up of so many styles from pop to a little Hawaiian guitar to the aforementioned scratching, to funky wha-wha guitars, which end the song.

“Forget About Here” is a quiet, sullen track, with just acoustic guitar, and a twinkling of keyboards underneath. A drum machine is added with a echoing crash style. This song reminds me most of Lincoln, again, and features more organic melodies. At the end of the song they take opportunity of the organic nature by offering other variants of the basic hook.

“Fifteen” starts with some basic power pop chord changes, filtered through the production of the era. There is no echoing power, the sounds are clean and precise. The chorus is a siren of energy, at least the synth in the background sounds like a siren. It is bold and dense yet still remains catchy and Fountains of Wayne-y. The song is a thoughtful tribute to being 15, and how it was the singer’s ideal year. The end features the main thoughtful lyric wind down, like a computer crashing, and the rest of the song fades out.

“Digitize” is a wind down from the album, and begins with an electric, fuzzy guitar. After two sets of the verse, the vocals are double layered to form a bridge that leads back to the verse, with an extra wha-wha guitar in the background. The liquid guitar plays a “solo” melody vocal parallel, and the song winds down before it ever has a chance to get going. Which, unfortunately is a apt metaphor for this album. It was really good, but never took off, and therefore, it winded down before it got a chance to get going.

Stand Out Track: Disguise

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Roger Manning - s/t (SST #203~) (Shanachie #5718*)

Name: Roger Manning

Album(s): s/t & s/t (SST #203~, Shanachie #5718*)

Year(s): 1988~, 1997*

Style: Anti-Folk singer/songwriter, Blues

Similar Artists: Bob Dylan, Jad Fair,Neil Young, Violent Femmes

"One Word" Review: Nasally-Energetic-train-riding-solos

Based Out Of: NYC, NY

Labels: SST Records~, Shanachie*

 SST - Cover, CD

 SST - Liner Notes & Back

 Shanachie Cover, CD, Promo Mailer

Shanachie Liner Notes, Back, Mailer

S/T [SST #203] (1988)

1. The #14 Blues 2:23
2. The Pearly Blues 3:46
3. The Lefty Rhetoric Blues 2:19
4. The Hitch Hiker's Blues 3:10
5. The West Valley Blues 4:02
6. Strange Little Blues 2:23 / 
7. The Airport Blues 2:42
8. The #16 Blues 2:33
9. The #17 Blues 3:58
10. Blues For the Chosen Few 2:58
11. The 1010 Blues 2:47
12. The Sicilian Train Blues 3:59

S/T [Shanachie #5718]

1. Grand Teton Blues 0:15
2. The Driving Blues 3:43
3. The Pearly Blues #6 4:39
4. Loisaida Covers Billy Syndrome 0:30
5. The Bohemia Blues 3:36
6. The East 5th St Blues #5 3:30
7. The War Museum Blues 3:21
8. The Driving Blues #2 5:07
9. The Driving Blues #3 4:18
10. The Rearview Mirror  Blues 2:59
11. The Pearly Blues #8 3:52
12. The Hitchhiker Blues #5 (Midnight Blues) 3:32
13. The Hitchhiker Blues #4 3:36
14. The Projection Blues 4:10
15. Homer's Backyard 0:15
16. The Ios Blues #2 4:28
17. The Hitchhiker Blues #3 6:02

Album Rating (1-10): ~6.0

*6.0

Members & Other Bands:

Roger Manning - Guitar, Vox, Producer ~* Engineer* (Young the Giant)

Steve Dansiger - Drums~

Jason Goodrow - Bass~

John Gurrin - Producer~

Veronica Toole - Assistant~

Brenda Kahn - Assistant~

Patricia Lie - Cover Design~

Ilana Storace - Photo~

Ken Greenboy - Drums*

Laura Elmina - Bass, Word*

Conrad Cooper - Bass*

Casey - Word*

Amy - Voice* (Nausea)

Sasha - Fiddle*

Fly - Artwork & Design*

Joe Folk - Engineer*

Richard Joseph - Editing~*

Unknown-ness: Back in 1998 or so, before I had the internet to research or review things, I bought these two albums thinking I was buying Roger Joseph Manning Jr's (from the band Jellyfish) solo albums. I knew I was wrong nearly right off the bat, but I have since forgot what they sound like. I remember being disappointed, but that was just because whatever these are, they were not up to the catchy psychedelic power pop style I was expecting. All I can predict here is that these are not that.

Album Review: Manning is a subway troubadour, playing his acoustic anti-folk, folk songs on the streets, and these recordings pick up as you’d expect to hear him live, with a little drums and bass added sparsely. His website is pretty detailed and complex: he even offers capsulated movie reviews of everything he’s seen and he promotes inline skating.

~“The #14 Blues” Acoustic jangley guitars with minimal drums and simple bass line filling in the gaps. There are some progression changes in the song, but it is a straight driving song. Nasally vocals and fast sung lyrics drive this forward like a train.

“The Pearly Blues” is slower, but still has the same acoustic guitar and nasal vocals. No backing percussion and bass on this one. The song tries to capture a youthful intelligence and folksy plays on words, all the while depicting living in a white man’s idea of poverty. Saying this is not a folk song does not make it NOT a folk song. Because that’s what it is.

“The Lefty Rhetoric Blues” brings the driving guitar back as the percussive element to accompany the melody. It is fast sung to keep up with the guitar, and it rises and fades in nasally energy. This one is politically charged, as identifiable by its name.

“The Hitch Hiker's Blues” carries along with it the driving style of a few lyrics and a short guitar hook. But it quickly blossoms into a pretty catchy hook for its chorus. I don’t listen to much Neil Young, but from the little I've heard, his voice reminds me of Neil’s here. But phrases of lyrics are framed by music, which makes this a little different than the rest of the album.

“The West Valley Blues” has a bit of a waltz tempo. The lyrics are staggered along the melody of the song. The message is a personal and political history of the area Manning grew up, concerning nuclear testing, which ultimately is blamed for his father’s (and others’) passing.

“Strange Little Blues” drives from the get go, reminding me of the verse from Violent Femmes song “Lies” without the catchy chorus. Instead the chorus here is a Ho-Ohhhhh, similar to that of a train whistle.

~“The Airport Blues” breaks out the typical song style with obvious forward sounding drums, and a much more musical background, reminding me a little of the verse from James’ “Sometimes,” especially with the bass.

“The #16 Blues” starts with simple strummed chords with a bit of a sloppy sound. This song discusses escaping from NY, if there is perhaps even anywhere else to go for Manning.

“The #17 Blues” is another jangely story song with more dialogue than singing with some hippie contemplations and ideas.

“Blues For the Chosen Few” is a one dimensional chord change in the verse, and barely a difference for the chorus, which is mainly just an instrumental chorus. But the song is oddly relate-able and accessible.

“The 1010 Blues” starts off again, like James’ song “Sometimes” but the song does not paint the same lovely and deadly picture that “Sometimes” captures. And the song is all verse, split by acoustic sections.

“The Sicilian Train Blues” finally used the actual train lyrics over top a train, driving acoustic tempo & melody. The song is solid, featuring a fun, repetitive hook, with minor changes, before returning to the base hook. The lines and verses nicely complete themselves. The instrumental break is a country-ish jam, slightly changing up the familiar melody.

*“Grand Teton Blues” is just a couple of coyote howls

“The Driving Blues” Already this is a more ambitious album. The jangely guitar is less front and center, and the drums and bass take much more of a burden. The song still has a similar train, driving tempo, and yet his vocals have the same nasally tone. This feels like an introduction song, which makes it a good first real track.

“The Pearly Blues #6” ” has a smooth head-nodding rhythm for the intro, but the verses lack the music support, and are all percussive. But the song builds to an obvious chorus. The lyrics are more spoken than sung in this song, reminding me of Dismemberment Plan’s “The Ice of Boston” a little. 

“Loisaida Covers Billy Syndrome” is an answering machine recording with a lady’s voice, some guitar, and an explanation of “art” from Manning.

“The Bohemia Blues” picks up the driving baton and continues on with notable drums and a very Jad Fair/Gordon Gano style of singing.

“The East 5th St Blues #5” has a sleepy, slow start that matches the lyrics of 6am. Thing is, it never really gets going. It treads water in this anticipatingly slow stutter.

“The War Museum Blues” has a fuzzy acoustic strum melody, and a dark spirit. The fuzz makes the sound thick and complex, but really it is just a chaotic echo. Even the fuzz spills over to the vocals here and there, making the album really feel like it could have been part of the alternative craze a few years earlier.

“The Driving Blues #2” is a simple guitar riff with another answering machine message overtop. Then the music finds its hold and a catchy guitar loop plays through a few rotations. In this case, the momentum the beginning had is obliterated by the lyrics, as the song seems to take a different, generic folksy direction.

“The Driving Blues #3” starts with some electric guitar feedback, and then launches into a thick electrified acoustic jam. The music waits for the verse to finish before it kicks back in.

*“The Rearview Mirror Blues” is a catchy fast paced song that starts out promising, with the lyrics called overtop like an auctioneer. It is just not that complex, and leaves you hanging, waiting for a hook that never comes.

“The Pearly Blues #8” slows it down for a hand clap tempo song. But it never really goes anywhere, and hangs around in verse purgatory.

“The Hitchhiker Blues #5 (Midnight Blues)” has a pleasant driving melody, again, and I know I’m saying it a lot, taking me back to the jangle guitar of James’ “Sometimes.” Then a deeper bass line adds some darkness to the song, and the verse begins loosely following the melody. Suddenly out of nowhere there is a chorus of items followed by the phrase “Very Small” but it loses that momentum and steps back into the safety of verse.

“The Hitchhiker Blues #4” was theoretically written before the previous tune, but was placed on the album after #5. It begins like a ramble-y non-directional chain of thoughts. The music is a little of chaos in the fuzzed jangle guitars.

“The Projection Blues” is a liquid sounding, shuffling acoustic song. It too is kinda of directionless and ramble-y. I could even be interpreted as a little whiny.

“Homer's Backyard” is a home recording of one or two young kids singing, with a proud parental laugh to cap it off.

“The Ios Blues #2” is just acoustic guitar strummed and about 1:15, the drums kick in, but only last for a few seconds for an instrumental chorus before returning to the acoustic verse. The instrumental chorus holds a nice head nodding hook, but it comes off pretty typical.

“The Hitchhiker Blues #3”starts with a poetic verse rushed through by Manning for 1:15. There is then a break of silence, and by 1:50, a fiddle begins playing a nervous melody. It levels out into a melancholy display, as only a fiddle can portray. The tune is changed slightly by a higher pitched segment, and a brief moment of optimism comes in, only to be banished by a return to the same melancholy melody. The process repeats four times, and the instrumental ends with the fourth flourish of optimism. 

Stand Out Track: ~The Hitchhiker's Blues

*The Driving Blues #3

Links:

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The Deli Magazine

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The M-Zee Band - Doctor Rhythm

Name: The M-Zee Band

Album: Doctor Rhythm

Year: 1981

Style: Humorous R&B/Rap/Funk

Similar Bands: Busboys, Capt Sky, Cameo, Stevie B, Chromeo

"One Word" Review: Funkin' Innuendo

Based Out Of: NYC, NY

Label: Mirage, Warner, Atlantic

 Doctor Rhythm - Cover & Record

 Doctor Rhythm - Back & Record

Doctor Rhythm (1981)

1. Doctor Rhythm - 5:44
2. Who's Funkin' You - 4:30
3. Bop Box - 5:45/
4. Sure Shot - 4:41
5. I'm Savin' It For the One I Love - 4:37
6. Fun House - 5:40
7. Street Beat - 5:02

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:

Michael Zager - Producer, Arranger, Synth & Keys (10 Wheel Drive)
Deirdre O'Hara - Production Coordinator

Jolyon Skinner - Bass, Vox (Touch)

Alvin Fields - Backing Vox

Wayne Cooper - Backing Vox (Cameo)

Alfred Adams Jr - Drums (Fantasy)

Michael Campbell - Guitar (Change)

Jimmy Maelen - Percussion (Ambergirls, Shobizz, The Latin Dimension)

Bob Defrin - Art Direction

Jay Mark - Engineer

Carla Bandini - Engineer

John Convertino - Asst Engineer

Matthew Weiner - Asst Engineer

Jerry Love - Exec Producer

Dennis King - Mastering

David Kennedy - Photography

Pete Canarozzi - Programming

Eltesa Weathersby - Nurse Git Down
Jebadiah - Claps
Wiff - Claps
Rick Rock - Claps
Wrong Way Weathersby - Claps
Sir Fig Newton - Claps
A Cappella Angelina - Claps
Ambassador Orlando Charisma - Claps
Rock & Roll Bob - Claps

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of this band. But I love the idea of what is inside via the cover art. A crazy looking doctor/nurse sitting in what appears to be a bathtub with a stethoscope held up to a sizable boom box. I mean, how more specific of the style do you need? How bout including the album name Doctor Rhythm, and have the Dr in question staring right at it. If this is not come sort of crazy themed R&B concept, then I’ll be super-surprised.

Album Review: M-Zee stands for Michael Zager, who’s had a few self-named R&B Disco acts in the past, and has produced a lot of famous singer from Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross to Herb Alpert and the Spinners. There is, unfortunately, a lot more promise and possibility on this album than what is delivered.

“Doctor Rhythm” starts with a funky beat and a twinkling synth. It gets real Shaft like with an ambulance alarm, and a nurse’s announcement for Dr. Rhythm to show up. It is a slow and steady, close-dancing disco song with a plot and storyline for this Dr. to help cure anyone lacking funk. There is a little too much growl-R-rolling in his energetic singing. It teeters on the brink of absurdity and punny humor with the conversation between Nurse Git Down & Doctor Rhythm @ 4:30. Lack-Funk-Cosis is a real disease that only Dr. Rhythm can cure. Perhaps a distant cousin to Doctor Worm.
“Who's Funkin' You” takes a similar tempo with more wha-wha watery guitars, and is an obvious a play on words with the phrase I wanna funk you. It skips along the line of innuendo and plays on words, employing the popular 70-80’s rap context of explaining who the singer is, how great he is, and what he is here to do.
“Bop Box” was the single of the album, and is in reference to a Boom Box. It is a slowish funk (not fast, disco) song that explains what a Bop Box is and what it does. It’s a virtual commercial, selling the benefits of bringing your jams with you. The chorus has a nice build up, which crashes back down to the verse very quickly. It is smooth, and dare I say funky for lack of alternate adjectives. There are some great supporting vocals layered below the main vocals and hooks.

“Sure Shot” begins the second side with the same steady tempo R&B song with a quieter, hushed tone. The bass hook is shorter and catchier than the rest of the album yet, coupled with short verses that all end with the title as punctuation.
“I'm Savin' It For the One I Love”has a jazzy guitar start off the song, with a keyboard that sounds a little like the MASH intro. The song is full of honest sentiment, and female backing vocals. It is a little mystical in the synth production. There is a little dialogue section where a “hot” girl comes back for our hero singer, and now we know why he’s saving it...supposedly. The song does have a religious tone to it, but it does not say saving it for marriage…just for the love, which, I guess, to stay within the self-inflicted rules, could change daily.
“Fun House” – enters with a drum beat and real funky bass groove. Plucked electric guitar follows up, and it sounds like a Chromeo song. It is a really fun intro. But the song just becomes another repetitive story song about a Fun House, which is, in actuality, just a week metaphor for the hero/singer’s apartment. And at the end he just seems to come off really pathetic and begging for a girl to just come over.
“Street Beat” has a darker, almost thriller vibe to its introductory bass line. But the guitar lightens it up, and the song follows the recipe we’ve become used to on this album. Not fast, not danceable, except for a slow, close-dancing organic groove sort of movement. The secondary section is very smooth and follows a light disco melody, but the dark sinister bass and the wood block percussion are what define this song.

Stand Out Track: Doctor Rhythm

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Zaine Griff - Ashes and Diamonds

Name: Zaine Griff
Album: Ashes and Diamonds
Year: 1980
Style: New Wave / Power Pop
Similar Bands: The A's, The Cars, Split Enz, Thomas Dolby
"One-Word" Review: Creepy New Wave
Based Out Of: Auckland, New Zealand
Label: Warner Bros.

Ashes and Diamonds - Cover & Record

Ashes and Diamonds - Back & Record

Ashes and Diamonds (1980)

1. Tonight 3:11
2. Run 2:59
3. Ashes and Diamonds 4:42
4. Secret Pleasure 3:14
5. She's My Man 3:10
6. Things You Saw 3:02 /
7. The Scandinavian 5:00
8. Orient3:58
9. The Iron Curtain 4:12
10. A Cigarette Aprea L'Amour 3:45
11. The Sentimentalists 3:56

Album Rating (1-10): 8.0

Members & Other Bands:

Zaine Griff - Vox, Synthesizers, Mixing, Cover Concept (Human Instinct, Baby Face, Screemer, Helden, David Bowie, The Kinks)

Hans Zimmer - Keyboards, Computers (soundtracks: Lion King, Gladiator, Crimson Tide, Dark Knight, Inception, 12 Years a Slave)

Tony Visconti - Bass, Percussion, Vox, Producer, Mixing, Engineer (David Bowie)

Steve Bolton - Guitars (Atomic Rooster, Paul Young)

Andrew Clark - Keyboards (Bee-Bop Delux, Judie Tzuke, Bill Nelson, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Tears for Fears)

Andy Duncan - Drums (Boomtown Rats, Pet Shop Boys, Wham/George Michael, Robbie Williams)
Brian Robertson - Guitars (Thin Lizzy, Motorhead)
Ray Henriksen - Engineer
Chris Birkett - Engineer
Graham Myer - Engineer
Chalkie Davies - Photography
Chess Creative Services - Design & Artwork

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of this artist, but based on the year (1980) and the photo on the cover, it seems like it will be some variation of New Wave. Thin face, glowing backlights, thin tie, slightly alien expression all seem like it wil be a solid album with keyboards, and perhaps power pop (by his hair alone). It has potential to be good, yet, since I had not heard of him, it could have failed miserably.

Album Review: This album features and was produced by long time Bowie producer Tony Visconti. Thanks to Visconti, Griff has played with Bowie on a couple of alternate tracks that were compiled as bonus tracks on a rerelease of Scary Monsters. Also of note, Hans Zimmer, of much film soundtrack fame plays on this album, although there is no real hint of The Lion King in the synthesizers here.

“Tonight” starts with a synthesizer, and new wave jitter-ness. The song just bounces and trills with a variety of synth effects. The vocals are energetic and exaggerated, reminding me of Richard Bush of The A’s. The combination of the electric guitar and the bouncing keyboards is fused perfectly, and the interplay is fun. It comes together to a complex crescendo and then just fades out.

“Run” is a slower song, not nearly as complex as the first track. It still has a driving melody, and Griff embellishes and pronounces each syllable he sings as clearly and as sharp as he can. The chorus reminds me of the cars, combining power chords, a chugging three tiered rhythm guitar and twinkling synth. There is also great use of a backing chorus of Ahh-Ahh-Ahhs in the chorus. Just a solid New Wave song.

“Ashes and Diamonds” is just a sincerely weird lyrical song. It is slower yet than the first two, and is virtually a ballad of memories after a night of intimiacy. The lyrics “I Smell Of You/it was not your perfume/or the room” reek of a sleazy or a juvenile sexual experience that the singer is never sure he will ever get back. It still has an 8-bit synth background plotting along as the background bass line. Overall, it is a really odd song.

“Secret Pleasure” has an intro of barely audible, echoing spoken word until the plucked synth sounds lay the groundwork for another juvenilely charged sexploration song. This song too, really reminds me of the Cars (musically) and the A’s (vocally). After a couple of verses, the chorus “Eyes = Yes, Lips = No” is repeated for a song ending breakdown, reworking the song down to its elements.

“She's My Man” is a great, jittery, nervous song with a down scale icy keyboard. The chorus is a driving drum filled declaration. It is a really fun song, including a chorus of deep Whoas to add another hooky element to the already sprinting song. It also adds an oddly places, but chaotically fitting fast piano solo, and again, Griff really sounds like Richard Bush from the A’s here.

“Things You Saw” also brings with a driving, chugging guitar riff, then once the A’s like vocals (I can’t get around it), a womp-womp bass synth effect oscillates in the background. The chorus is a complete building machine for the follow through, which is a great catchy carnival keyboard come down. Then it just builds right back up. The structure of the song is unconventional, but it is a solid interpretation, and makes this song, the best song on the record.

“The Scandinavian” begins the second side with a minute spacey and sterile instrumental, broken only by the electric guitar chords. Still only describable by the new wave combo of power chords and synth elements, this slower song feels a little broken or lacking in format, held together by the odd synth effect here or there. Then, at about 3 min, the song breaks form with a sunny and bright keyboard effect, and for a moment it is catchy, before it dips down into this stormy and hard pseudo metal guitar, which it never digs itself out from, having a bombastic finale of thundey and a held, sung note.

“Orient” has a power pop guitar layered under some vaguely Asian musical melodies. This sounds much more of a typical straight forward song, not deviating from the simple devised path, all the while, the bass line has a dark tone to it. The chorus is in two parts, and is not as catchy as the other songs, but it has a nice higher pitch, falsetto style vocal usage in the second part to emphasize the emotion. The song possesses an overall dreamy vibe.

“The Iron Curtain” is the third of four songs referencing a foreign place takes us to Russia, and a piano based tune, that flies along wistfully, like surveying the grand soviet land from above, and then it falls to the ground in a Mega Man like sprint for the chorus.

“A Cigarette Aprea L'Amour” begins with a watery guitar loop, sounding kinda jangle-poppy, and a dark, bass line and echoing vocals. The emotion in the chorus also feels like the A’s, but it is full of desire and memory in its sentiment. The overly produced chorus is catchy and inspiring, but dense. Which leaves the following verse feel light and sparse. The instrumental has an electric guitar that does not seem to really match the melody and temp set by the tambourine drums and bass line. And the song ends with a fade.

“The Sentimentalists” sounds like it is going to blossom into a Journey piano ballad at the get go. About 1:20, the song charges forward with an electric guitar burst. But it settles back down, feeling like “Faithfully” for the verse. The song’s theme is less sentimental, but more like the rest of the album’s sentiment: creepy stalker lyrics.

Stand Out Track: Things you Say

Links:

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Fat Mattress - s/t

Name: Fat Mattress

Album: s/t

Year: 1969

Style: Folk/Psychedelic Rock/Pop

Similar Bands: Monkees, Bee-Gees, Echo Orbiter, Ween, The Who

"One-Word" Review: Renaissance Psychedelica 

Based Out Of: Folkestone, England

Label: Atco, Polydor-Englad, Atlantic

 Fat Mattress - Cover

Fat Mattress - Inner Fold

Fat Mattress - Record Labels

Fat Mattress - s/t (1969)

1. All Night Drinker 3:28
2. I Don't Mind - 3:51
3. Bright New Way - 3:45
4. Petrol Pump Assistant - 3:01
5. Mr. Moonshine - 4:04/
6. Magic Forest - 3:05
7. She Came in the Morning - 3:47
8. Everything's Blue - 2:50
9. Walking Through a Garden - 3:20
10. How Can I Live - 4:26

Album Rating (1-10): 8.0

Members & Other Bands:
Noel Redding - Guitars, Vox (Strangers, Lonely Ones, Loving Kind, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Burnettes, Road, Shut Up Frank, Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends, 305 AM)
Neil Landon - Vox (Pat Cahill, Cheetahs, Burnettes, The Flower Pot Men, The Ivy League, Mainhorse Airline, Klaus Voorman)
Jim Leverton - Bass,  harpsichord, organ, vocals, production (The Big Beats, Lonely Ones, Loving Kind, Engelbert Humperdink, Burnettes, Blodwyn Pig, Caravan, Juicy Lucy, Hemlock, Joe Brown & The Bruvvers, Steve Marriott, The Blue Devils, Rocky and the Natives)
Eric Dillon - Drummer
Mitch Miller - Drums
Chris Wood - Flute
Jimi Hendrix - Percussion
George Chkiantz - Engineering
Gered Mankowitz - Photography
Paragon Publiciy - sleeve design
Adrian Morgan - Liner Notes

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of Fat Mattress, and when I found this album, it was just the record: no cover, in a white cut out sleeve. So I did not know what I was getting with this. I was familiar with the label, and knew that it was an older record, but I was mostly enticed by the rather silly name to pick it up. A quick google search shed light on the album, but that does not mean I knew what I was getting when I picked it up in a thrift store. And when I did get it I had no ideas to go off of as to what it contained.

Album Review: I had never heard of Fat Mattress, and when I found this album, it was just the record: no cover, in a white cut out sleeve. So I did not know what I was getting with this. I was familiar with the label, and knew that it was an older record, but I was mostly enticed by the rather silly name to pick it up. A quick google search shed light on the album, but that does not mean I knew what I was getting when I picked it up in a thrift store. And when I did get it I had no ideas to go off of as to what it contained.


The research on the record revealed that it is a side project by the bass player in The Jimi Hendrix Experience: a folkier, psychedelic pop band. They even opened for JHE a couple of times, but barely held together for two albums.

“All Night Drinker” starts out with a very psychedelic feel, accented perfectly with a flute and back-mixed vocals, The tempo of the song is mystical and echoing production feels very beatnik-y. Overall it generates a bold, yet dark feel. It is also aptly names, as the music leads itself quite naturally to background music to an alcohol imbibing montage.
“I Don't Mind” starts with a drum beat and a jangely guitar sounding like a Belle & Sebastian song, but quickly evolves into a Monkees style side to side pop song, reminding me a little of “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” And the calming psychedelic chorus drifts off and blends nicely into the second verse, like something Echo Orbiter would do. The spacey breakdowns materialize nicely into straightforward driving pop, and vice versa. And the whole songs ends with a vibrating vocal fade.
“Bright New Way” is a bright and sunny, folksy guitar hoe-down, a little like the Kinks. It reminds me a little of Ween’s “Argus” or “Chocolate Town.”
“Petrol Pump Assistant” starts with a bass line that sounds like The Lion Sleeps Tonight, but the song takes on a style much closer to the Beatles “Tax Man:” a bouncy pop song, with a great build and drive in the chorus. The end is a bit of a drawn out jam, but it does not last too long.
“Mr. Moonshine” is a straightforward psych song. Wandering and echoey, and dark bass notes behind the Bee-Gees harmonies. The break down into an instrumental is truly dreamy, like spinning and falling at the same time, before it comes back into a heavier, classic rock stylized version of the chorus.

“Magic Forest” has a couple of odd voices before it dips into a psychedelic camp fire story song, reminding me of John Entwistle’s solo album. The chorus is a fun, staggered jangley romp, and it makes it hard to return the the body of the song, so it stays on the hook for the majority of the second half of the song, carrying the repetitive momentum out to the end.
“She Came in the Morning” sounds like a folksy produced balladeer’s song. Like something you’d hear on the adult comtemporary male vocalist records. I don’t even know the difference between the likes of Jack Jones, Paul Anka and Johnny Mathis to tell the difference, or give an accurate description. Just that this is a light slowish floating/dream song.
“Everything's Blue” sounds like a radio single. It starts out rushed and wired, and the chorus is great garage rock hook. This reminds me of the Who, maybe a little Big Star. Lots of energy and emotion as the song strides on to the end and fades out.
“Walking Through a Garden” is a renaissance style psychedelic tune, which sounds like it would involve a group dance amongst fancy dressed high society elites. Maybe like a very slow song from XTC’s Mummer album.
“How Can I Live” starts with a nice Beatle-y psychedelic jam, full on harmony and 7-note head-nodding bass line on loop. But they just can’t get away from the Lion Sleeps Tonight bass line, this time, it is inverted in the first breakdown.

Stand Out Track: Petrol Pump Assistant

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