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email: unfo@unthinkables.net
Now I know what the inside of Roger Grierson's brain looks like. I only had to put on this cd by Unthinkables to absorb a complete understanding of the organised chaos that resides between his ears. Roger is what you'd call an 'ideas man' and he, along with fellow Unthinkable Phil Judd, have made an album chock full of ideas. The last album I heard stuffed to the brim with so much pop-shop goodies was the incredible Avalanches Since I Met You.
There are ten songs on the unimaginatively titled Untitled album but if you missed the gaps between the songs it could be seen as a 38 minute plate of random dialogue grabs from tv shows, movies and the kitchen sink. All seemingly painstakingly placed in, around and over the top of riffs and rockin' beats (real drums too, it seems from reading the liner notes). It reminded me of the 80s. On acid at Stranded in the 80s specifically.
The album starts with sexy surf guitar on 'Kiss The Dream Goodbye'. Then the dialogue starts spewing out -which sets the tone for the rest of the album. This song even has a fade out! Watch out mums, you're gonna be spooked next time you flick on the radio! If you want proof that John Lennon wasn't joking when he said to the engineer "make it sound orange" then 'Who Killed Vaudeville?' is full of so much carnivale that you can definitely hear buckets of colour swirling out of your speakers.
And on it goes. It's a mind-blowing listen!
Listening to the Unthinkables, I kept thinking of Roger's mind. He's had his fingers in a lot of pies over the years and I've seen firsthand how he brain-juggles answers and questions. He has helped a lot of musicians, myself included, as a guy not-so-behind-the-scenes and his love of music and pop culture is second to none. I've just never understood how he sees talent in Dave Studdert!
On the hand, I know nothing at all about Phil Judd except he was an original Spit Enzer and the guy behind, or should I say, in front of the Swingers 'Counting the Beat'. He's done an incredible job putting this cacophony together.
An extra gold star for the cd booklet. A page for each song and, unlike the music, a simple, yet thought-provoking image. Untitled is available through MGM Distribution or direct from their website. - ND
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