CATERPILLARMEN

At the bottom of their website I noticed a combination of 3 tags that said "Iceland monkey prog". I think that is the best way to sum up the music on "Caterpillarmen". I understood this to be an RIO group before listening to this album, which usually makes me wary about any group. But, also, it was free to listen to. So, there.

Caterpillarmen play the type of RIO that isn't incessantly dissonant or noisy, and they're not one of those awesome electro-acoustic avant groups. I'd liken this music to Jack Dupon or Jean Louis, in that it is odd and disjointed, playful and goofy, and heavy and driving. The musicianship is great from what I can tell, and that is further emphasized by the fact that this album was recorded as two live takes.

The bands states that this album is based on a theme of monkeys invading human parties, getting defeating, taking revenge and starting a party of there own. Seems like a strong enough concept, but there are no lyrics so this is purely a soundtrack affair. The music goes great with that theme, though.

I can't seem to find anything that stands out in this music really, because I don't particularly have an ear for RIO/avant prog. The band does occasionally lock into a very jam-band sounding groove, which is something I feel that Caterpillar men could benefit from utilizing more - it would lengthen the compositions and create a space for the members to show off their chops in a more controlled manner.

As I said earlier, this album would best suit fans of Jean Louis of Jack Dupon. Otherwise, this might not be for you.