Quirky. We'll use that word many times in this review.
Tub Ring's strength lies in their ideas and their songwriting. The Great
Filter is a collection of creative ideas and very catchy melodies,
and has that 're-playability' factor. It's the fun, the damn-the-torpedoes
attitude and the upbeat vibe that will catch you by the ear and keep you
listening.
Don't look for enormous progressive complexities or long epics - and
particularly, don't look for strong musicianship or any great chops. The
performances are average at best - but that's not what this record is about.
There's tremendous variety in the 14 short songs (none longer than 4-1/2
minutes) that make uo The Great Filter. The styles range from eclectic
metal a la Stolen Babies ("Glass Companion") to Mr. Bungle to punk ("Get Help
(Now!)") to ballad to folk ("My Job Here Is Done") to grunge to
flamenco-meets-punk ("No One Wants to Play") to hard pop to just plain quirky
("Seven Exodus"). And adding to that variety is the instrumentation which -
besides the standard rock ensemble - includes violin, church bells, sax,
trumpet, cello, and female choruses.
Based in Chicago, the quintet has entertained and often confused audiences
with their eclectic and powerful stage shows and four studio albums since 1992.
Not the band's best effort, and not the most prog nor the most metallic
record you'll hear this year. But it's a cool listen nonetheless - and damn,
it's fun.
And it's quirky!
Track Listing:
1 Friends and Enemies
2 The Charasmatic Smile
3 Seven Exodus
4 Get Help (Now!)
5 When the Crash Happened
6 Killers in Love
7 No One Wants to Play
8 Requiem for a Robot
9 Life in Transition
10 Glass Companion
11 Making No Sound (At All)
12 The Truth
13 Wrong Kind of Message
14 My Job Here Is Done
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