Providence, Rhode Island's instrumental Amoebic Ensemble is a peculiar beast — a huge group (usually eight people) playing mostly acoustic instruments (except for electric violin and mandolin) and assorted metal detritus to create something of a bizarre old-time Weimar clinkety-clonk. Accordionist and main songwriter Alec K. Redfearn is one of the greatest song-titlers alive (Limbic Rage offers, among others, "Owls Are Actually Very Stupid," "Waxing Neuralgic" and "Gimme a Buck or I'll Touch You"), and his themes are pretty great, too: "Repetitive Motion Sickness" is a twisted Brecht-Weill-ish tango for people with an unusual number of feet. Instrumentally, on "Boilermaker," Redfearn's accordion parts knit neatly with Laura Gulley's violin lines.After Limbic Rage, there was a three-year gap before the Amoebic Ensemble's next release; the brain-bending tales of desperation and substance abuse in an interview Redfearn did with the zine Wingnut help to explain why.
[Douglas Wolk] This piece was first published in Badaboom Gramophone #3
Excellent accordeon oriented avant-prog band ,blending naiveness behind complex structured compositions . Chamber rock music mixed with plink plonky circus sounds and an excellent accordeon on the background!One of the best things i've heard lately!
get it here
The artwork on the cover of this album reminds me of Nachtraum album cover. It all looks like Paul Klee paintings. I wonder if it is intentional.
ReplyDeleteThe music is transfer to wma and note MP3 ??? Is that o"k.
ReplyDeleteFrancois
I have had this CD for a long time in a used copy (with a funny note from a library about how it "does not fit format") and enjoy it much. Since then I have been looking for the record by the related project "Septimania" but have been unable to find it anywhere. It would be wonderful to see the Septimania record on this blog sometime if you have been able to track down a copy!
ReplyDeleteYeah, weird how it was all wma - it took iTunes a few minutes to convert to mp3, but it sounds great. Music for a crooked carnival run by Nick Cave, where Tom Waits is the ringmaster...
ReplyDeleteThx for sharing this one, it was surprisingly good. I normally hate the accordion, but here they made greats from it!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. We used to have a copy of this at WCBN, but it had a different cover. I wonder if it was rereleased
ReplyDeleteBravo!
ReplyDeleteNow I KNOW you are on the money! Thought I'd never see any mention of this delightful whack-job-muzik-fest!
I think I'll add a track from my CD to my next show:
http://JazzRock-Radio.com
Amoebiasis, their second CD, is every bit as wonderful, and still in print, I think, on the Stupeur & Trompete label. Also see Alec k. Redfearn & the Eyesores and Beat Circus.
ReplyDeleteThey are a bit out of the Swiss school aren't they, a similarly nimble and twisted mis-use of traditional forms ala L'Ensemble Raye, Shirley Anne Hoffman, Nimal and others.
I'm glad to see that a few people are still interested in this CD. I still think it's the best thing I've released. I can't seem to generate any label interest for a reissue, but I might remaster it and release it myself some point
ReplyDelete-alec k. redfearn
I still wake up sometimes at night, with these songs in my head, since Alec scored a play using them, and I relate several songs to back stage cues...
ReplyDeleteI've been searching for this one a long time! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteBut is it possible that you uploaded only half the album? There seem to be actually 15 tracks on this one.
PLease post Amoebiasis... can't find it anywhere....
ReplyDelete