THE PUBLIC EXECUTION OF MR. PERSONALITY / QUASI DAY ROOM

Intricate, restless, and on occasion quite funny, this combination of studio and live work ( from the severely under-attended 2002 Progman event in Seattle -- and yes, I was there ) presents some expert excursions in non-stop musical transformations. Moving from the exceedingly hectic and frenetic to the nearly serene through seemingly effortless gestures, Hamster Theatre all the while maintains a highly refined sense of tension between reassuring and disturbing tonalities. Atypical writing, atypical instrumentation and an ear for non-linear transitions supported by virtuoso playing all allude to some of the finest moments that might result from crossing an apolitical Henry Cow with a still witty Hatfield and the North and a few genuine folk shadings that could easily place it somewhere during that most golden age of Canterbury. My apologies for the comparison -- HT comes out of all this as a thing unto itself, of course.

Musics such as this refuse to die, refuse to go away. By demanding close listening, Hamster Theatre offers music among that rare kind of stuff that continues to reveal nuances and details with repeated listening over long periods. In so doing, Hamster Theatre keeps alive the tradition that quality work wins out in the end -- thanks to its uncanny ability to attract only those listeners who know what it means to actually listen. Especially in this case, because of the way in which the elements interact within pieces as well as between pieces. Just one more collection of great music added to the already overwhelmingly compelling case to be ever farther removed from the deadening predictability of the mainstream.

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