Hypnotuba
"Sycophantic Elephant
Suffering Buffet" CD
self-released
Genres: electronic, rock, experimental
November 2006 |
Recorded in 2002 and chronicling Hypnotuba's journey to find
his true self, this one certainly paints an interesting picture of its
creator's psyche. Hypnotuba is a one-man recording act with a
sense for the bizarre and eclectic. Yes, this record is a journey, and
a very strange and often quite enjoyable one at that - but it
certainly isn't for anyone. Sounding something like a rock opera from
another planet, this electronic-heavy wonder needs to be taken all at
once to be fully appreciated. No hit singles, no skipping tracks -
just start it from the top and see what you can make out of it. The
keyboards are what gives this record the melodic element that keeps it
interesting, though the heavy atmospherics hold it in a good spot.
Styles range from ambient ("Fifteen Flowers, Twelve Sunbeams") to
funked cybergrind ("Owh! Ghe tuw wha jii fnh") to Captain
Beefheart-esque weirdness ("Chocolate Muhlow Snap Crunch Wraps")
to hard rock anthemics ("Please Pass The Cream Cheese"). And that's
simply a fraction of stylistic cross-section on this disc, which
throws more curveballs than a triple-A vet. Thanks to Hypnotuba's
sense of humour and fun, though, things avoid any forays into tedium,
and this seemingly disjointed album comes almost frighteningly
cohesive. In short, Sycophantic Elephant is the perfect little
secret - not everyone's bag, but worth looking out for nonetheless.
85%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 12 tracks, 38:53,
distributed by
cafepress,
released 2006] |