vhf#31 The Double U/Glands Of External Secretion s/t CD
The untitled double CD by San Francisco's Double U draws on a long tradition of west-coast
inventiveness and eccentricity. Cutting against all the possible "hip" grains of
today's underground scene (tm), the Double U go for clarity where others obscure, careful
arrangement over aimless jams, and add a "demix" disc by their friends Glands Of
External Secretion that is completely devoid of breakbeats. If that's not going against
the times, then what is? The Double U 's core lineup of guitar, bass, drums, and voice is
augmented by tastefully arranged and applied tuba, harmonium, organ and throat singing.
The tracks vary from the anthemic "March To Valhalla" and the prog-ish
"Cuisine Of Northern India" to "Bow Legged Horse" with its almost
touching melody and male/female harmony vocal. As an extra treat you also get the group's
unusual arrangment of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman." Recorded on 24 tracks by
Gibbs Chapman, this beautiful recording was financed by wealthy (and quite honestly, deluded)
Englishman C.P. Pratt. Thanks! The companion demix disc by the Glands Of External
Secretion takes the same tracks in the same order and completely turns them inside out.
Rather than relying on endless techno beats and easy listening samples, G.O.E.S.
rearranges the essential elements of the tracks to render them entirely anew. Parts that
were background become hooks, vocals are reexamined up close, melody is replaced by
texture and vice-versa. OK, maybe there's a couple of easy listening samples in there but
at least you won't go "oh, that sounds so 1997!" when you hear this remix record
in a couple of years. Disc 1: 11 tracks, 27 mins; Disc 2: 11 tracks, 32 mins.
2xCD
$9
