|
What
I like the least about this Russian project is that some of
their material sounds quite undone. Like ideas that never gelled
and were randomly stirred together, and unfortunately positioned
way too high in the sequence. At its worst, Motherfathers
reminds me of that 90’s super project Deconstruction featuring
former Jane’s Addiction alumni Dave Navarro and bassist Eric
Avery who recorded one left field album for major label Atlantic
Records and then soon after went belly up. Deconstruction’s work
awkwardly mixed rock, jazz, funk and some metal influences to a
less than coherent and functional result. I couldn’t listen to
that album then, and I can’t listen to it now. It sounds too
random and discordant in the sense that the music is quite
hermetic, impenetrable from a listener’s standpoint. Not so much
challenging as much as errr…not good. The same can be said about
some of the material contained in Kolchak!; as it starts
these Moscowites stumble upon noise and feedback but gradually
becomes more of a jam band. The third cut “Nacho” for instance,
is positioned way too high in the album’s sequence and plainly
put, sounds like three dudes are practicing an erratic rhythm.
It should have been left out of the album. “International
Burgeoise” follows and is as pointless and uneventful as the
track that precedes it. Here, I had to pop out the disc just to
make sure I wasn’t accidentally listening to Deconstruction.
It’s a shame because
Motherfathers have much more to offer.
What I like
the most about this Moscow-based trio is that when focused,
their material is titillating. Motherfathers insists in being
experimental, so at their most obtuse and deranged the band’s
avant aspirations succeed by building tense moods and obviously,
experimental work outs. Quite frankly, the sound of Kolchack!
takes its time to grown on you. For the first five or six songs
this just sounds like a rehearsal, it is not until “Go!” that
the band’s abilities come afloat; there Motherfathers seem to be
channeling Helmet by way of Nick Cave; the heavy guitars are
simple and poignant, the tempo is tired and incisive. “Shiver”
also recalls Deconstruction, the guitar tone is dead on that of
Navarro and “Avenue Cracking Truck” is well…as close to not
being a song as The Shaggs’ creations ever got. Not to fall into
conventional ways of thought, but Motherfathers are quite good
at delivering rock music with an odd touch; “Chemicals Gone to
Her Head” is haunting; a post punk voice hovers, while massive
strings stir clear from heaviness. When focused some of the
Motherfathers material approximates the work of The Birthday
Party, when going for the whole jazz experimental vibe they kind
of come off like a Deconstruction knock off and that’s never a
good thing.
MySpace |
