The Ex have been around forever, lurking on the fringes of many scenes, never really a apart of any. ‘Enormous Door’ straddles countless boundaries, and baffles and well as beguiles, although that isn’t a criticism as it surely beats sticking with tried and tested formulas and growing predictable. ‘Enormous Door’ sees them collaborate with Brass Unbound, who, unsurprisingly, are a horn ensemble.
The choppy ‘Last Famous Words’ is reminiscent of Gang of Four only with chunky brass. Angular and edgy, they bludgeon away at a single rhythmic riff for six minutes until the relentlessness is pretty overwhelming.
Things start to get experimental on the sparse and discordant ‘Every Sixth is Cracked’. The guitar clicks twitchily while saxes scream and howl. Hints of smoother jazz vibes rapidly collapse to chaos. The effect is discomforting, putting the listener on edge.
Ethiopian Gurage song ‘Belomi Benna’, reworked from the 2004 Ethiopia Tour Cassette by The Ex and Han Bennic, makes a detour sharp left into a crossover into world music that ruptures volcanically into a riot of cutty post-punk guitar.
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‘Red Cow’ is a big band riot, and the loping ‘Our Leaky Homes’ is a hopped-up punk rocker with a ska tinge thanks to the brash blasts of brass. ‘Bicycle Illusion’ – another older track revisited – is jam workout that whips itself into a frenzy at the climax of its seven-minute duration. The quirk-out that is ‘Made of Places’, with its offbeat lyrics and off-kilter sound collisions precedes the final track, ‘Theme From Konono No 2’ which is a relentless groover and a fitting finale to an album that manages to balance being frantic, strange and, quite often, rather fun.
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