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First Manatee Hugging Party
Tricycle Bicycle Cycle
Reviewed by: Ian Signore [Sat, December 24, 2005 @ 4:40:12 AM]
Tricycle Bicycle Cycle consists of up to 14 people playing any of the following instruments, mandolin, guitar, slide guitar, bass, ukulele, Theremin, keyboards, organ, flute, violin, banjo, sitar, glockenspiel, accordion, tambourine, other percussion, and last but not least, assorted toys. Wow. Where to begin right? One thing is for sure is that these people are having fun and it shows in their music.
Manatee dives in with, “Do You Remember? (Face)”, which is where my first comparison to one of my favorite bands, Of Montreal surfaces. Think, “Don’t Ask Me” from Cherry Peel just replace the “Woo ooo woo ooo’s” in “Don’t Ask Me” with the “ba ba ba da’s” in “Do You Remember? (Face). Tambourines and handclaps are welcomed here in the opening track and hold on tight all through out the Hugging Party.
“Are You Man Enough to Wear the Universe as a Hat?” follows and, well, are you? With the hiccup/voice crack vocals that take place, it sounds as if TBC is getting to the “man” part, and it’s all very endearing. Crazy synths take over as the most lyrically powerful song of the album proceeds, “Why do I Worry?” with lines like, “The gods and goddesses / kill a trillion people, but its cool / all hope is lost, I said / and I don't know why I grieve, cause I don't believe / in deities, that try to fuck with my chi”. Fuck and chi in the same line makes my day.
The sitar in “Extraterrestrial in an Arcade” makes it the unparalleled track of the album. Not only does it totally work, but also it defines TBC. The psychedelicness reaches it’s climax, and all the while the song has lines like, “I am an extraterrestrial in an arcade / pumping quarters into a video game / it's one of those kind where you're not allowed to save / I've almost beat it but I'm running out of change”, which is pretty impressive. The vocals start off quiet and nice accompanying the sitar and the kick drum sound of an udu, gradually get faster as the synths and tambourine make an appearance, approach the cusp of yelling as all the instruments converge into an explosion of noise, and then glide back down on the twangs of the sitar and return to beautiful crooning before the song wraps.
There is something to be said for bands with an abundance of members. Lot’s of influences can be drawn and many opinions are tossed around. It’s probably why most of the songs are as eccentric as they are. Everyone brings in whatever instrument they have and just plays it even if it’s just a Fisher Price xylophone. I can’t wait to hear the next offering from TBC because they have potential the size of a sea cow.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
RIYL: I say Of Montreal, John-Michael says Atom and his Package, and my step mom says the Beatles.
www.tricyclebicyclecycle.org
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