CRISIS IN CLAY

On the whole, "Crisis in Clay" isn't significantly different from "Hunger's Teeth" (my only other reference point to the music of this group). The adventurous spirit of the group is still very much intact, although, strangely, the album is again quite repetitive, perhaps even more so than "H.T.". The band frequently resorts to a noisier, more cacophonous approach as well, evident on "December", the opening track, "Weaponry" and many others; a lot of these feature a considerable metal edge. The humorous side of the music is present as well, indicating that the band does not want to be taken too seriously.

Among the highlights is "Bought the Farm", a swirling journey of funky riffs and bombastic instrumental sections. "December" is somewhat drowned by strangely distorted, murky production, but that does not prevent excellent melodic hooks from coming through. The following number, "Hunter Gatherer", sports a great quirky guitar riff backed by distant keyboard stabs, while "Darkened Door" features very cute piano amidst more sinister parts. "Willful Suspension of Belief" offers an interesting listen as well, with typically humorous lyrics and Hawaiian interludes mixed with inherent 5UU'S dissonance.

Thus, we have another interesting product of the 90s RIO scene. The music of the 5UU'S is generally more playful and less sophisticated than that of their colleagues, and should appeal to a wide cross-section of prog fans - although more variety definitely wouldn't have hurt the album.