The Wheel Works
Self-titled
CD
India
Records
Genre: progressive rock
Oct 4 - 10 2004 |
The Wheel Works have cool voices. I don't know; that's just the
first thing that came to mind. For some odd reason they remind me of
Casper the Friendly Ghost. I have no idea why. I guess it's a good
thing, as you probably assumed when I used the word 'cool' to describe
them.
What is obvious and undeniable about this band is that the level of
energy is delightfully high. The rhythms are positively bouncy, and
even on the more somber offerings ("Personal Strangers,"
"Stella Link") you get the hint that they're not so much
songs as interludes building towards the next exciting ballad. It's
hard to tell if the music is well done or not, but the beauty of this
album is that it doesn't really make me want to care. Charisma is what
drives this disc; The Wheel Works make you genuinely want to
like them.
There's an abundance of creativity here as well. The songs are
highly individual: both in the context of the album and in general.
Conventional song structures are mostly abandoned and whatever
conventions one finds here are so mashed up with one another that it's
impossible for one to get a singular concrete impression of this
album. I guess it takes away all the capacity to criticize.
The one problem I have with this disc is that the band occasionally
outstretches their creative limits. Songs on this album can be
inaccessible; not that it's a bad thing, but listeners wanting to tune
in and get absorbed by something powerful won't find a real option
here. This is a record on which one should marinate, not meditate. Let
it sink in for a few listens and appreciate it. Then turn on
ten-minute opener "Mystic Rust". Get blown away. Back to
step one.
87%
Engelbert K. Mutton [Vitals:
11 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
