BANNED BOOKS - "Flawless demo" cassette EP
Picked this up
when I saw the band on tour at one of Arvid Noe's last shows a few months
back. On their latest EP, Banned Books
offers us some surreal, off kilter avant-garde art rock full of twisted arrangements
that range from synth bass driven tunes almost ready for the dance floor to
sonic collages that almost collide and implode to acerbic melodic rockers that
hint at the strangeness. While
disconcerting at times, the band's ability to combine what's easily accessible
with elements that push the boundaries of what can be considered music comes
across as somewhat admirable as the EP carries along. This band won't be everyone's cup of sake but
readers into a little experimentation sonically will be curious about this tape
- if it isn't already in their music collections. Cassette limited to 100 copies but a download
is available on the Magic Death Sounds bandcamp page. (BOONE)
(Magic Death Sounds Records.)