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Cerberus Shoal, "The Land We All Believe In"
Slowly, and without a lot of fanfare, the members of this ever-changingand evolving collective have become the world's first full-scalecarnival band without a carnival to play. Instead, life is theircarnival, and they a group of minstrels that record their reactions tothe happenings around them, natural and unnatural, without sparing thelistener anything. North East Indie
Their fondness for the dramatic and themusical exploration that has been so prevalent on recent releases findsits crest on their latest full-length, an openly political and vibrantalbum, equal parts puck doom and clown glee. The track thatexemplifies this energy is "Pie for the President," which starts as aChaka Khan beatbox, then a harlot's choir comes in singing of sausages,turkey tongues, and mass appeal. Suddenly, a cacaphonous orgasminterrupts the proceedings, then a solid three-part chorus of "why whowhen" begins, returning things to a certain normalcy. The songjust frolicks along then before dissolving into cabaret strangenessabout a "backwards brain" and how "everyone dies and it's all alie." The interesting part is that the song goes through so manychanges and is just over three and a half minutes. Stretch thatconcept to ten minutes plus, and the bulk of the record isrevealed.
Sharp-voiced choruses, chill-bearing bass, oddinstrumentation, Vincent Price-esque monologues and theatrics abound,all with the varied messages direct and indirect about the state of thenation and the world at large. The band has taken to spellingtheir home country as "U$A" on their website, and the sentiment is notlost in this collection. "The Ghosts are Greedy" flat out saysit: "we must escape the government, with powdered wigs and wetcement." The heartbeat of the album is this free verse speakingfor a non-free populace, on "murdering ego," "taking out thepassengers... and hunt down my enemies," and how "surely, reality, youare not quite what you used to be."
Rarely has the band expressedthese feelings through their own unique voice, and it's jarring in itsfrank emotional pitch. The songs work their way into the psyche,the message takes hold, and suddenly a whole new meaning isachieved. A wonder this is to behold; and those that should hearit would never listen in the first place. They're not listeningat all.
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