The Racing Pisshorses - "Tone Deaf Afro, I'm Told"
(Intangible Cat 2003, CAT-3, CDR)
The Racing Pisshorses - "Tone Deaf Afro, I'm Told"
(Intangible Cat 2003, CAT-3, CDR)
Uploaded to Aural Innovations: October 2003
Tone Deaf Afro, I’m Told is a 5-track release. It is obscure, it is strange, and I find it hard listening in places. The band is Laura Goodman, J.J Gregg, Sayo Yamaguhi, Marc Parenteau and Mike Richards. I have no idea what instrument each member plays because the bio and cover does not mention this, so I will interpret it the best I can.
Basically there is a lot of noise stuff. Track 1, "Dead Leaf Bug", is made up of things that twang, things that ting, things organ like, things plucked, things bashed and banged. These things that I talk of sound like they are played by randomly pressing, banging, or plucking? I ask myself if time was spent, learning the parts, recording tracks etc. I hope not, because it sounds a one-take job. It is graced with ramblings of the spoken nature, I could explain further, but I won’t.
"Give Large Puppies Sweet Loud Kiss" is very similar, but better. It is done in the same style but there is more of a beat behind the movement, which makes it drive a little, something to catch. It is still spoken word over the top, and it is still hard listening. "Evergreens Are Soft In Spring" is a drum banging track, the percussion phase, the mellow let’s get the old buckets out, hit that table, or even the top of that old biscuit tin. It is ok, but out of time, random stuff. It gets a little better towards the end, or am I just imagining this? Thank god for the only two tracks that are worth the effort to listen too. "Crayon Rainbows For Mommy" and the other one I will call "Healing". Both of these pieces are just Sitar and Tabla... music at last! I cried, I need not explain what Sitar and Tabla pieces are like, because its just that. It moves and washes over you, like it should, good stuff, I could listen to a full album of it.
I would have preferred more tracks like those. I did not see, or enjoy, the principals of the noise tracks. They were on the whole poor stuff, random noise, with what sounds like no real idea or thought. Loved the Sitar and Tabla, a totally different experience because it was music with thought behind it. I do not know who the musicians are but they play well. Keep it up, go out on your own, your music has feeling. The rest was bad stuff.
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Reviewed by Albert Pollard