Music For Hard Times: City of Cardboard

The name of the band is Music For Hard Times and while the times are certainly hard for some folks, the band name is a bit of an oxymoron as their new album City Of Cardboard can hardly be called music.

In the duo are Tom Nunn (skatchboxes, lukie tubes, resonance plates, crustacean, ghost plate, harmonic rods, music boxes, friction twister) and Paul Winstanley (electric bass guitar with extensions and electronic effects). On the inside of the digipack there is an explanation of the unusual instruments.

The tunes are complete improvisations so if you are looking for compositions you have come to the wrong place. Strange and weird noises abound and I found the first two tracks pretty much unlistenable. It does get a little better on the space-tinged "Augury Spirit" and "We Travel the Spaceways" where the sounds/noises are more dark and just a little creepy. Still, it isn't near enough to earn a recommendation.

I will give the band kudos for using their imagination in making these homemade instruments but if you are wanting an album of 'music', this isn't it.

Track Listing:
1. Obstacle Course (3:55)
2. Archipelago I (6:39)
3. Shantytown Council (5:16)
4. Augury Spirit (2:42)
5. We Travel the Spaceways (7:54)
6. Bad Bolts (14:30)
7. Map of the Alleys (16:47)

Added: November 21st 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Label's Official Site
Hits: 1856
Language: english

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