ROCK BOTTOM

Rock Bottom is a hypnotic, repetitive and borderline insane Canterburian progressive record. The songs are quite different from one to another. "Sea Song" announces the bizarre & unusual character of the album, and the last 2 minutes are particularly delightful, featuring Robert Wyatt's Canterburian voice style and Camel-esque keyboards arrangements. On "Last Straw", the refined cymbals patterns give an overall jazzy tendency. Robert Wyatt's extravaganza is materialized by his usual excentric vocals, that amazingly fit well with the music; the piano in the background is very hypnotic; some psychedelic echoed guitar remind the early Pink Floyd. "Little red riding hood" contains psychedelic echoed trumpets a la Art Zoyd; the repetitive loaded texture is very hypnotic and some part of the rhythm seems to be recorded reverse. "Alifib" is at least as strange as the other previous tracks: just hear the repetitive human breath combined with a curious, restless and inoffensive electric guitar solo: strange, you must admit! The Canterburian style is however confirmed by the inoffensive background organ. "Alife" is VERY strange and dissonant, as reveals the presence of VERY twisted sax sounds. "Little red robin hood" has the early King Crimson's influence, as revealed by the Frippian electric guitars, played by Mike Oldfield, and by the floating melodramatic Mellotron.

Rating: 3.5 stars