SPECIECIDE

A bit of the wit, intelligence, and mood presented by ARTO LINDSAY (and The Ambitious Lovers), CHEER-ACCIDENT, 3RDEGREE, THE CARDIACS, NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA, XTC, BRIAN ENO, ARCADE FIRE, ECHOLYN, SANGUINE HUM, KNIFEWORLD, and JOHANNES LULEY.

1. "Spectre At The Feast" (4:59) male singing in an upper register over an almost-Rasta-rhythm beat. I feel as if I'm on an AMBITIOUS LOVERS album! Great lyrics! Great melodies--especially in the chorus--and great, simple, spacious chordal presentation. Amazing song! One of my favorite songs of 2019. (10/10)

2. "Matter Of Time" (6:52) cheesy drum machine, full synth bass notes, and a whispery reverbed voice open this one. Intermittent computer incidentals are interjected here and there until the two minute mark when drums enter and establish their own "steady" presence. (Nice drumming!) Interesting interplay between percussion and computer glitch noises in the fourth minute before deep bass chord and flute join in. Back to original starkness at 4:15 for spoken singing to rejoin. I love the contrasts between spacious sections and those with full soundscapes. Very RADIOHEAD-like final 90 seconds. Cool song. Original. (14/15)

3. "Take Drugs Everyday" (5:56) ("Pharmaceutical grade.") Hillarious! Speedy two-chord cello arpeggi lays the foundation for electric piano and vocal to enter. Eventually drums enter. They expand during chorus. More computer effects/"music noise" used as the soloist in the instrumental parts, trombone in the third and fourth ones. Lemonade or red pills? (9/10)

4. "9th Life" (4:11) a song straight out of the ART LINDSAY catalogue! Pizzicato cello and trombone are the featured idiosyncratic instruments on this one. (8.75/10)

5. "NordGen" (5:33) so fresh and innovative. Like when ARCADE FIRE was new! So difficult to describe the odd instrumental array forming the foundation to this one as so many are computer generated--maybe all of them! Another top three song for me. (9.5/10)

6. "Pretzel Knot" (6:47) weirdly affected, well-spaced piano chords open this one before cello joins (bowed) and takes over (with pizzicato play). The lyric and singing style remind me of MICHAEL FRANKS while the chordal foundation and use of multiple incidentals reminds me of something from BRIAN ENO's 1970s solo pop albums. (13.5/15)

7. "Rooms" (3:40) fun, funny, ARTO LINDSAY-like in many ways. (8.75/10)

8. "Cold Future" (8:27) opens like a video game but then peters out (pitifully). a sparsely populated computeristic journey with spoken narration for its vocal until it becomes RADIOHEAD-like in the third minute. Not the most engaging or heart-warming song, but definitely interesting and projecting the emotion of its title. Enter Fender Rhodes at 3:30 and drums kick in as smoothly sung "you don't know what you want" section unfolds. Cool! Awesome effect by the drums and Fender Rhodes. Coldness returns with jazzy piano and drums during the fifth minute, then detuned percussion followed by tribal-sounding drums and chant section--only the instruments and voices are severely distorted by the pitch- and time-bending effects of the computer. Ingenious and powerful! (18/20)

9. "Vampire Ninja" (4:16) cowbell and fuzz guitar (synth version--DEPECHE MODE-like) establish first moderately driving pace. Pause in middle for piano before jazzy drums return and synth solos above bass synth notes. Not my favorite. (8/10)

10. "State Of The Union" (4:47) guitar arpeggi! With tons of warped sounds woven within (without?) Wow! Can these guys hit the meaning of their song titles with their music! Talk about cognitive dissonance! Singer sings his message, band moves into instrumental jazziness, then returns to support the title line chorus. (8.75/10)

Total Time 55:28

Five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and surely a masterpiece of progressive indie avant pop. One of the most refreshingly original albums of refreshing songs I've heard in a long time!