Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Sum of its parts, March 29, 2008
Kind of hard to get into this one. What Appendix Out is trying to do, namely marry very traditional Scottish folk music with lo-fi indie rock, is wholly admirable, and at their best the band does sound like a Scottish equivalent to Bonnie Prince Billly. And, sure enough, Appendix Out began at an Oldham concert, according to AllMusic, their first three albums coming out on Drag City. But while the writing is evocative, and some of the playing flat gourgeous, the album lacks that core of energy and dynamism that even slowcore acts need. The album moves at a crawl, fortified by dirge-like repetition, so that despite the varied instrumentation, many of these songs never fully get off the ground. The Night is Advancing, then, is not comparable to say Elephant Shoe by Arab Strap, although in theory it covers some of the same ground. Take, for instance, "Year Waxing, Year Waning," a would-be rocker which in the hands of a band like Bedhead could have become an epic, but here its slow build, based on a monotone drum-beat, remains mired in sluggishness. The centerpiece, "Fortified Jackdaw Grove" (the second song title here to refer to groves) is a carefully structured 8 1/2 minute piece that builds into a sonic hiss of electronics and a stacatto drum-machine, and while the payoff is worth the wait, rather understandably many will not have the requisite patience. The latter part of the record picks up a bit, with three solid tunes before the closer, the outstanding moment and a really great song, "Organise a March" (with obliquly suggestive lyrics like "there are three men in my life/ I play them music to make them fight"). This song hints of a more exciting, more compelling album. Other songs which have a fair amount to recommend them include "The Groves of Lebanon," and "Campfire's Burning (Round)." While one admires the approach, one can't fully get behind the result.
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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Obscure For A Reason, April 10, 2003
Famous mostly for the their obscurity, Appendix Out mix Indie amateurishness with traditional Scottish folk, a notion that sounds good in theory, but all it basically means is they sound like a bad folk outfit. The mournful monochromatic tone and vocals don't help. Miss it.
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6 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
oh sick to Firmatose, April 18, 2001
If you want some review about something being 'plangent'--or how the guitar is some gossamary comma over the girlfirends in your minds bar----sorry. More female vocals, more OUT OUT with that appendix you nutty music shadow fans.
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by Appendix Out 
