Bogus Blimp "Men-Mic" Jester Records Trick 005 1999 (24:34)
Jazz/Speech (2:07)
Sweets & Love (3:25)
Hush Now (4:03)
In/Exhale (2:46)
Brains (3:41)
Even More (3:42)
891 (1:27)
Inside Here (3:23)
Bogus Blimp: Hilmar Larsen (guitar), Christina Mona (vocal), Aslak Larsen (sampler), Kyrre Bjørkås (bass), Simen Grankel (saw), Roger Jacobsen (drums) and Bjørn Larsen (electronics).
Bogus Blimp is a 7 piece Norwegian band that take their name from a blimp launched by an anarchist organization in the 1930's (see the history page at Bogus Blimp's web site for the full story). Their sound is an odd mix of rock and vintage carnival and cabaret music with samples and rather demonic, distorted English vocals by an apparently unaccredited male singer. The result is an avant-garde sort of pop rock a bit reminiscent of Tom Waits, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Frank Zappa, Einsturzende Neubauten and the Residents in places, but at the same time nothing at all like any of them ... know what I mean? The mood ranges from dark and brooding to light, playful and humorous throughout the mere 25 minutes. "Jazz/Speech" opens the disc with a strange lof-fi mix of piano ragtime and circus ringleader style samples. "Sweets & Love" is upbeat with organ (no one is credited with playing organ, but there is a definite organ sound throughout this cd) and surf guitar melodies coupled with raspy vocals. "Hush Now", my favorite track, is more subdued ... beautiful guitar melodies and whispered vocals create a lush, melodic atmosphere. "In/Exhale" is aggressive with a Neubauten style guitar/strings/drum assault and "inhale/exhale!" vocal. "Brains" is also upbeat with guitar and organ melodies and raving vocals. "Even More" has a bit of everything ... quiet sections that build up to a frenzy, sample sections, etc. "891" seems to simply be a slightly out of tune radio transmission sample. "Inside Here" features frolicking organ melodies and the whispered vocals of lyricist Christina Mona. "Men-Mic" is short but it's a lot of fun. Bogus Blimp manage to pull this off without sounding pretentious or just plain goofy. Mp3 sound clips are available at the Bogus Blimp site. Look for a full length album also via Jester later this year ...
Where did I get this cd? - from Jester Records to review.