Discogs
AllMusic Review
by Ned Raggett
The Philadelphia group's first full album is a
distinctly quirky blast of end of the century psychedelia, steering away
from the realms of drony guitar and stoner tempos for more acid-folk
grooves and an upbeat if not explosive vibe. Comparisons to
Amon Duul and
Syd Barrett's
less psychotic work make sense; there's a casual, "having fun in the
studio" vibe that at the same time isn't conveying simple whimsy or
daydream (at least not all the time). Keyboards squeal out tones from
nowhere, space and echo accentuate the percussion, and vocals appear but
don't predominate, often taking up only a few lines per song;
everything's just a little off, just enough. "Dr. Spound and the Art
That They Dismissed" shows
Bent Leg
can play things on a straightforward level as desired, to an extent.
The acoustic strum of the song and soft singing is a pleasant bit of
semi-folkiness, but things still sound just a little strange, from the
discordant plucking to the buried vocal wiggery at points. "Mouse,"
previously released as a single, has the glam-rock swing and sass of
"Jean Genie" or "Blockbuster," but with whispery vocals and Hammond
keyboards, it isn't so much a platform shoes anthem as an off-kilter,
fun little song that builds to a great, loud ending. "A Sort of Seamless
Suite" is more conventionally on the drone path, at least with the
keyboards, but again it's the percussion and sense of play that the band
brings to the fore that stands out. The song's much more of a low key
jam rather than a head-nodding trip into the beyond. Other mixes of the
heavy and mellow crop up, like "Hemingway" and the sweet chime of "Crow,
Cat and Snake," originally the B-side to "Mouse," while a brief
unlisted semi-blues ends the disc on the same amusingly odd note with
which it began.
Tracklist
| 1 |
Greetings And Farewells |
|
| 2 |
Cup And Saucer |
|
| 3 |
Dr. S'found And The Art That They Dismissed |
|
| 4 |
Madame Fatima |
|
| 5 |
Mouse/Lone Gunner |
|
| 6 |
Sixteen |
|
| 7 |
A Sort Of Seamless Suite |
|
| 8 |
Hemingway |
|
| 9 |
Crow, Cat & Snake |
|
| 10 |
Yacht |
