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Baleen:
Soundtrack to a Normal Life
I was listening to this CD at work. Halfway through the disc, one of the employees asked me what kind of music it was. I still cant answer that question with authority, but Ill give it my best shot. Its a jazzy, electronic-rock hybrid with tribal beats and a tendency for rampant experimentation. Sometimes. So now you know exactly what they sound like. Arent I a great music reviewer? Its impossible to generalize here. Baleen is so diverse in their musical conquests that they are impossible to categorize. One minute theyre blasting you with electronic headphone candy. The next minute theyre rocking out. Then they jump into jazz freak-out mode. And somewhere in there, they do a deliciously fragile cover of Beethovens Moonlight Sonata. If I had to compare this to anything, it would be a less extreme Mr. Bungle, circa Disco Volante, without Bungles speedcore/thrash/death-metal tendencies. The majority of the vocals on this album sound very reminiscent of Mike Patton of Faith No More. Plus you can draw comparisons between the virtuosity of the players in both these bands: the tail of Sweetspot took me back to Faith No Mores Epic, with its piano ending. Take a Number sounded so much like Liquilab labelmates First Night on Earth that I found myself scanning the liner notes for a mention of a guest vocalist. However, Baleens album came out first, so maybe it would be more correct to say that First Night on Earths entire album sounds like one Baleen song. One thing is clear. Baleen is overflowing with unbridled creativity and musical talent. This album is dense and detail oriented. Its almost exhausting just trying to keep up with everything thats going on sonically. But thats a good thing. There is a lot of depth to this record, and this crappy review could never do it justice. Give Baleen some of your money.
This album can be purchased at Amazon, Insound, and CD Universe LEFT OFF THE DIAL'S Baleen page About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
