Customer Reviews

American Don

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The fourth Don Caballero record is another clear indicator of the amazing twists and turns the saga of this Pittsburgh-to-Chicago outfit has taken. Despite slimming down to a three piece, the band sounds that much more coherant. "American Don" hits with harder impact than their previous "What Burns Never Returns", which was mired somewhat in the cyclical amorphisms of guitarist Ian Williams' other band, Storm & Stress. Without a hint of distortion, Don Cab is back to the practice of interlocking cascading guitar riffs and bass chunks with the Herculean, gymnastic drumming of Damon Che. There are liberal instrumental references to King Crimson and perhaps even the hypnotic guitar layerings of West African music. One complex, intensive section leads seamlessly into the next, and the next, which is as it should be in the progressive order. One wonders how Williams will be able to reproduce the effect of as many as four simulentaneos guitar lines (such as on "Haven't Lived Afro Pop") with a mere loop pedal, but that's a dillema saved for the live arena. As proved by "American Don" and its crystal-clear Steve Albini production values, Don Caballero is definitely still the ultimate rock musician's band, and a whole legion of perfidious formalists stuck in various stylistic dead ends, whether mainstream or under ground, could learn a lot by listening to this album.

For those who have in the past had their ears spanked by the music of Don Caballero, expect more of the same fantastically bizarre, complex, extended compostions. Yes, in many ways, it's more of the same, and yet the band continues to push into new territory. Let me explain... For those who arent familiar with the sound, D.C. is basically about spectacularly odd grooves, built on the constantly shifting, yet rock solid drumming of Damon Che, and layered upon by the ever fluctuating arpeggiations, interlocking trade off patterns and geometric experimentations of the guitars. Past albums have been pretty scary sounding, D.C.2 was perhaps the most mathematic and heavy, What Burns Never Returns was less about distortion and more groove oriented, and now with American Don, we're treated to a greater degree of tonal dynamics. At several points, the music could even be described as "pretty," providing greater contrast when they turn on a dime and abraise your conciouness with their trademark sound. I also noticed they've added a certain bit of electronics in certain parts, they seem to sample a line, then layer it back into the mix at a faster pace. It's a cool, unobtrusive way to introduce some new technology instead of going off the deep end like some artists are prone to do... I gave this album only four stars (and not five) for two reasons: First, theres only one guitar player on this album, and i think a little of the dynamic interplay you get with two different guitarists is missing. Oddly, this makes the music a little TOO consistent in spots, which is a strange complaint, but when these guys are in the "pre ordained chaos" mode, its a beautiful thing! Second, I guess i'm still kinda stuck on their heavier stuff, and i wish theyd get some of their old aggression back. It was sooo coool... But anyway, the music is fantastic, and i still recommend it!

thats what the band had said just prior to this albums release, and though there is not more than 4 seconds of distortion in the entire album, it is intense, furious, and confusing. many of these indie rock fools do not , CAN not understand this, as this is much more in the jazz-rock fusion vein than the typical breadwinner meets jesus lizard formula they relied on for some of their previous works. obviously, if your idea of avant-garde is the the power chord minimalism of shellac, youre not going to understand this. what really irks me is some of these morons claim the drumming is not up to par. are we listening to the same album? damon che's drumming is the most ferocious its ever been, had i not seen them live i wouldve found it hard to believe its just 1 man behind the set. f**king incredible, from the intricate waves of guitar noodling to the fury of an octupus on steroids manning the percussion rig, to the booming low end, this is beautiful, incredible musicianship that will be recognized years after theyre all dead.

The world's best math-rock group throw another curve ball at your expectations. Over four epic-length LPs, Don Caballero have become, if not the planet's greatest all-instrumental rock band, one of the only such bands worth noticing. The group (essentially octopus-armed drummer Damon Che and a shifting crew of guitarists) started in the early '90s as a Breadwinner-inspired math-metal powerhouse, but they kept experimenting after that, both evolving and shedding players until they'd nailed the sort of hyper-technical rock minimalism that's become their trademark. At this point, no other mathematically inclined group can touch Don Cab-and if you think that's just hype, well, then you haven't heard the band's biggest head-scratcher of an album, American Don. Proving himself more capable of flying solo despite co-guitarist Mike Banfield's 1999 departure, Ian Williams is now using a sampler pedal to play two-plus serpentine parts at once. Likewise for bassist Eric "Emm" topolsky-Williams' foil in Storm And Stress-who uses his own sampler pedal to imply the beat while hammering out bizarre underlying textures (see "The Peter Criss Jazz"). Add to these two the mega-polyrhythmic Che, and you've got a power trio in the most literal sense: Don Cab not only make three instruments sound like nine, they pack more oomph into this meager space than most bands twice their size.

Bit of a paradoxical album. While the crushing noise sometimes present on earlier releases is pretty much absent here, and the shimmering tones are often quite pretty, this is perhaps the most difficult Don Caballero album to "get into". There are no catchy power-chord riffs to carry the listener through, nothing resembling standard rock song structures. And despite the paring down of the group to a trio, this is as musically dense as anything they've done.

Having lived with this CD for over a year now, I feel comfortable giving it a full 5 stars. After first getting it, I may have only decided on 3 or 4 stars, but this is an album with true staying power. Everytime I listen to it I now find myself drawn into it, and this is the kind of music in which you can keep finding new things to admire.

If you're looking to start out a good math rock collection, start out with this. It's the most uplifting album I own. Compared to Don Caballero's previous efforts, which were a bit hard rock, this is more subtle with intricate little indie rock melodies arising from the kinda odd offbeat yet sweet body of the song. This is a smooth jazz progressive indie post-rock album with some experimental parts. The band plays around with the drums, letting it loose sometimes. And there are some lavish string plucks with a gentle ring to the ear that comes out from nowhere. No track outshines the other. I listen from start to finish. That's the thing with instrumental albums, they're that easy to enjoy cause there's no potential annoying choruses which could ruin a close to perfect song. Every song has its own distinct memorable parts you just have to hear gradually unfold when all the diverse instrumentation comes together.

Excellent album, a masterpiece of this guys (and the shipping was absolutely great). A must in every music collection.

This album is one of the best don cab releases in my opinion. The music is along the same lines as what burns, but it is much more solidified and focused. I also think this is one of Damon's best performances on tape. I like every DC record, but I think this one is my favorite, well maybe DC II as well. The new one Punkgasm is also really good. Hell, buy them all, they're all good!

Of Don Cab's previous albums, What Burns Never Returns is by far my favorite. (see my review) Ever since I first heard it, I hoped that DC would next record What Burns II. To my delight, they have delivered. But now I'm left with a slight sense of disappointment that they didn't undergo a radical paradigm shift as they did between their previous albums. This isn't EXACTLY like What Burns, but it's damn close... close enough that it reminds me of Paul McCartney saying that Rubber Soul and Revolver almost sound like one double album. I'm not complaining. These songs are Don Caballero at their best. I'll get used to the idea that they've found a nice comfortable niche to settle into, at least for the time being. Can't wait to see them live.

don caballero is back, and true to form, this cd will leave the listener perplexed, shaking their head, wondering how in the world such music is written. that unmistakable don caballero sound is somehow intensified by the lack of distortion for the majority of the cd. and 'the peter criss jazz' lulls you into a false sense of scrutiny, thinking this trio has wandered into radio-friendly territory. before you're too hard on them, be sure you listen to the song in its 10:36 entirety. once again, the packaging is excellent (though minimalistic, in stark comparison to their music), featuring vogtanORIginals. overall, this cd left me amazed and already anxious for their next release.