Census of Hallucinations - "The 8th Dwarf"
Blimey!! - eight albums and still not as highly regarded by the masses as they should be. The one thing about this brand new studio album that becomes immediately obvious is the way they now sound like no-one but themselves - for the identity has now been well and truly carved. A combination of psychedelic,
festi, folky, and Canterbury, this is firmly a song-based album, even a concept album one might think, with the dual female-male vocals eschewing the Allen-Smyth comparisons of old, in favour of a much more cohesive, tightly-knit approach, with the actual song-writing working a treat. Instrumentally, the band is red hot most of the time, with some great guitar work throughout. But what really takes your breath away is the variation from track to track with so many twists and turns along the way, it's almost impossible to take it all in on one sitting - there's so much happening lyrically and vocally in particular. Probably the nearest comparison is a crusty version of University Of Errors, decidedly more "English" sounding but no less bizarrely structured in terms of its compositions and arrangements. All in all, it's a head-bending album that is actually totally accessible but you just have to take it all in and stick with it, and you'll find a rather fine album begins to unfold.
Reviewed by Reviewed by Andy Gee At CD Services & Dead Earnest Records, Dundee, Scotland