Gaito, Mike: Beard of Bees

This is a curiously self-obsessed record which, among other and many contortions, features a "thank you" list that runs to approximately 400 words. The music itself is nothing nearly as hard to categorize as the press release wishes you to believe – Beard of Bees has but one principal attribute and that is simply the ages old technique of "juxtaposition, eclectic". Still, many who listen to more than a few genres of music have come to think that categorization is no longer of much importance anyway, unless you're for some reason compelled to label every damn thing that traverses your liminal and subliminal states.

There is a good deal of skill on display here for an album that exudes such an overtly solipsistic posture. But that's not enough to save it. The sonic and verbal self-referential habit is worn so prominently on the sleeve that one hesitates to enter and disturb these many and varied self-reflecting comforts, each so carefully put on display in both the liner notes and through the lyrics. Of course, there's nothing so especially unique about this either. Every artist of every stripe makes his or her own coded and encoded referential associations – contemplate Duchamp's "Zone of the Splash" for example, and have your chuckle. There is however no guarantee that in isolation any or every such sort of short hand should or could matter to anyone else. Then the chuckle just turns into "huh?".

No doubt, Beard of Bees has its moments. It is well-played and well-produced, perhaps just not so well conceived. And at some future point the construct of the "zaniness n' zeal" of its creator will be set aside as the unnecessary and self-conscious affectation it is. At that point, the real work can begin.

Track Listing
1) Ullow Kahng
2) Beard of Bees
3) Art Bunny
4) Pagan Educated Guess Listening Credenza
5) Hobart the Emu
6) Asparagus and Glass
7) Marco
8) Vs.
9) The Fogged Frame
10) ...the sometimes terrifying realities of getting exactly what you want...
11) Meek Lanterns Chosen Nightly
12) Giant Canoe
13) The Oar
14) There are Mornings
15) Be Well, Turbine

Added: January 28th 2007
Reviewer: Kerry Leimer
Score:
Related Link: More Information
Hits: 3239
Language: english

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