Hamster Theatre - The Public Execution of Mister Personality / Quasi Day Room: Live at the Moore Theatre

Year of Release: 2006
Label: Cuneiform Records
Catalog Number: RUNE 226/227
Format: CD
Total Time: 00:00:00

Reading about Hamster Theatre on the web might just give one the wrong idea of what this band is all about. The highbrow influences of Satie and Ravel will rear their now-unfortunately-dead heads, orchestration will be mentioned, and, well, the band members write dance pieces, so that their blend of quirky psycho-carnivalesque music will probably not be the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe the name Hamster Theatre is a better clue, but let?s face it: that could just be the much-belated competition to Alvin and the Chipmunks for all we know. So, Mister Smarty-pants Reviewer, what exactly is Hamster Theatre all about? Ah, you got me there. Well, imagine RIO viewed through the weird plasticine carnival that you?d see in a Primus video, put in some more serious moments that often recall a collision between 8-bit Nintendo soundtracks and spaghetti Westerns, some contemporary composition stuff (but not as much as the press would have you believe), and a whole lotta energy. Shake it up, drink it up, and now you have a general idea of what Hamster Theatre is all about.

And that?s one of the main strengths of the Dave Willey-led ensemble: Hamster Theatre is readily categorized as a member of the RIO world, yet has acquired an easily-identifiable sound that is uniquely its own. The goofy "Reddy 4 Luv" might recall a more na?ve Miriodor, and the smothering tension of "The Quasi Day Room Ceremonial Quadrille" might somewhat delve into the aggressive ostinato nature of so much RIO music, but the band is otherwise its own circus. Prime examples thereof are the thrilling guitar and marimba runs on the cartoon-like "The Cat Song" and the plodding bass-line humor of "Bug 2: The History Of The United States Of America;" both part of this two-disc set's live album. Which, while we're on the subject, is the more exhilaratingly energetic of the two ? it's as if these guys were on speed while playing along to hyperactive Tom & Jerry chase sequences half of the time. The Public Execution Of Mister Personality (the studio disc), on the other hand, is a tad bit more restrained, more calculated, more diverse, and better thought out. Both are pretty entertaining in their own right. But not perfect. Not even by a long shot.

Not that Willey and his cohorts don't deliver. They do, and sometimes the results are as golden as the bling-bling on prime Mr.T. "Love Theme From ?All Clytemnestra On The Western Front?? is an absorbing mixture between the aforementioned Nintendo and Midnight Cowboy, "Litost" alternates interlocking minimalism with Henry Cow-like dissonance before entering a positively heart-rending finale, "162" is one hell of a tension-builder, and the live "Jeanne-Marie" features one of the most touching melancholy melodies that these ears have ever heard (and beautifully orchestrated, no less). But there?s something missing in the long run. While the band is definitely no slouch when it comes to creating quality themes and ideas, it seems after a while that its members either can?t concentrate long enough to keep from switching sections too quickly (or abruptly), or are simply piecing things together without thinking about structure. In other words, The Public Execution Of Mister Personality and its live colleague are sometimes too close to sounding like patchwork. Sure, patchwork consisting of brilliant ideas and top-notch musicianship, but patchwork nevertheless. And yeah, sure, Hamster Theater's latest outing is often right up there with the masters of RIO, but it just fails to keep up the momentum after a while. So, what's the final verdict, you ask? Easy. A good, but not great, album from a band that has all the elements to become a RIO legend, but hasn?t quite learned how to make them work yet.

Tracklisting:
Disc One: Race Against Time (2:11) / '162' (4:17) / We Unearth The Lost Book Of Mister Personality, And Its Consequences (2:30) / Reddy 4 Luv (3:44) / The Quasi Day Room Ceremonial Quadrille (2:46) / Love Theme From 'All Clytemnestra On The Western Front' (1:51) / Oye Comatose (6:55) / Litost (4:26) / La Sacre d'Merde (2:59) / The Quasi Day Room Ceremonial Tango (1:29) / The Fairytale In Reverse (4:28) / Phoenix (4:25) / It Was Only A Dream (2:52)

Disc Two: Bean Dance (4:47) / The Cat Song (3:05) / Bur Die Lie Town So (6:27) / Jeanne-Marie (3:35) / Bug 2: The History Of The United States Of America (4:12) / Vermillion Hue Over Lake Lausanne (6:17) / Tick Fever (2:41) / Vang Vang (5:04) / Home (3:56) / The 5 (2:49) / Hamster Dance (4:23) / The Bug Show (4:29) / Cat 2: Siege On Hamburger City (4:41)

Musicians:
Dave Willey - accordion, keyboards, bass, drums, guitar, percussion, zither, violin
Jon Stubbs - trombones, bass, keyboards, percussion
Mark Harris - saxophones, clarinets, flutes, percussion
Mike Johnson - guitars, mandolin, banjo, percussion
Raoul Rossiter - drums, percussion, marimba
Brian McDougall - bass
Matt Spencer - bass
Emily Bowman - Stroh viola

Discography:
Carnival Detournement (2001)
The Public Execution Of Mister Personality / Quasi Day Room: Live At The Moore Theatre (2006)

Genre: RIO

Origin US

Added: September 29th 2006
Reviewer: Marcelo Silveyra
Score:
Artist website: www.generalrubric.com/hamster/splash2.html
Hits: 3262
Language: english