The driving force of this four piece band from Sacramento is guitarist, Jason Ellis. His virtuoso playing is the focal point of the ten tracks on this ambituous debut album.
His style is flashy and Zappa-esque which leads the music in a variety of different directions from straight to progressive rock.
Mostly the sound evokes the kind of Jazzy post-folk familiar to fans of Tortoise or Do Make Say Think.
The versatility of Ellis proves to be a double edged sword because while on the one hand it opens up a range of possibilities, on the other hand the tracks struggle to maintain a tight structure.
This problem is compounded by the fact that Kurt Travis'' vocals are neither beast nor fowl.The press release from French based Distile records claims that Travis' "singings are moving" (sic) but his voice is not powerful enough for rock or sensitive enough for melodic pop.
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As a result there is little synchronicity between what he is singing and what the band are playing.
This largely explains why the best tracks here are a pair of instrumental jams - 'There is no such thing as "organised crime"' and '22435'.
Prime examples of the more sprawling tracks are the two tracks that open and close the album (Conceivable Test Tube Baby and the title track respectively) both of which clock in at over 7 minutes and ramble on aimlessly.
Reservations aside, this is a promising and original album worthy of praise because it doesn't try to slot into a tried and tested mould.
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