steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Little Fyodor

"Peace is Boring" CD

Public Eyesore

Genre: outsider art-out

Denver, CO

April 2010

Little Fyodor: underground phenomenon. On Peace is Boring, Mr. Lichtenberg provides thirteen distinctly bizarre goof-rock excursions (and a vocals-only Joni Mitchell cover) which run the gamut from the purely inspired to the more or less flat. On the better end of the spectrum sits the Beefheart-esque art-rock of the title-track, with its quirky, spasmodic structure, as well as the reggae-tinged “The Natural Progression of Life” (minus a bland chorus). On the other hand, “Everybody's Sick” and post-punk influenced “All My Clothes Are Uncomfortable” are solely novelty – fun, funny, and fairly surreal, but hardly the type of tunage you allot heavy rotation to. The main problem with the record's weaker tracks has to do with a recurrent formula: Little Fyodor conjures up a brief, abrupt melodic phrase, then repeats it ad nauseam. Goofy goodness, for sure, but not enough to keep one coming back. Meanwhile, Lichtenberg's wacky vocals are a curious double-edged sword: his unique delivery is what gives Peace is Boring a lot of its character, but they are also a fiercely acquired taste (his cover of Mitchell's “Death Sides Now” makes this point adamantly clear.) Hence, due to Fyodor's startling idiosyncrasy, I have trouble passing any anchored judgement on this little number...

(Note: Features a atonally-sung, banjo-tinged cover of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'”)

little fyodor's myspace

 

Michael Tau

[Vitals: 14 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2010]