DEVIL IN THE DRAIN

This album was my second foray into Henry kaiser's music. This record has Kaiser programming most of the music into a Synclavier, then adding his bizarre, but calculated guitar solos over those tracks. The result is incredible.

The first track is Sukagaki for Conlon. I presume Conlon is Conlon Nancarrow, the composer who created impossible to play piano scolls by hand punching holes into player piano rolls, and recording the results. Kaiser's tracks have a similar feel to them. King of the Wild Frontier is a deranged take on the theme from the old "Davy Crockett" TV show.

Dark Memory takes us back to that Nancarrow style, with Kaiser playing over an impossible backing track. Smokestack Lightning begins sounding like Kaiser's take on swampy blues, but devolves into some aggressive picking. Roadside Picnic is a moody piece with guitarist Bruce Anderson assisting with guitars.

Free To Choose is a light piece, with delicate tuned percussion sounds providing the backdrop. Lost Horizon is a solo guitar piece, with Kaiser's guitar laying frenetic lines. Devil In The Drain has Kaiser playing deranged guitar, while telling a funny story of an imagined conversation of himself as a child having a conversation with the devil living in his drain. And If This Goes On... brings the album to a close with another frenetic guitar solo over a percussive backing track.

So. If you like bizarre, but very technical guitar solos, and beautiful experimental music, this Kaiser album is for you. As it is for me.