Customer Reviews

Plays Music

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Fans of Tortoise and The Sea and Cake will most likely dig this cd. The cello played by Dominique Davison (who I believe is also in Minor Forest) is what really distinguishes them from the latter. Worth checking out.

first let me say that "plays music" is a very enjoyable album. the first song i heard was "an open letter to buckminster fuller". being a fan of his architechural ideas i wanted to hear any and all homages to him. the song was surprisingly familiar to upon first listen. it was inviting enough that i got a hold of the whole album. after listening to the entire album, i got the feeling of driving through a pretty tourist town but not stopping to take in the sights. it seemed as though all the action and interchange took place behind a barrier. seemingly, the barrier was the cieling of effort. i understand that these songs aren't "jam" songs, but more mooding meandering songs. songs meant to start, go, and stop, without much hassle or consequence. "playing safe.." gets an engaging groove going for a while, but lacks the momentum of, say, "gamera", which i imagine it aspiring to. i did enjoy this album. but afterward it left remarkably little taste in my mouth. i felt a little guilty at certain points, as though i were cheating on bands who i knew could deliver the goods in this department. as an album "plays music" stands solid in a way, but when put into actual context, it seems dated before it started. honestly, it gets to sounding like scrapped tapes of aimless tortoise jams. i would recommend this album because it is enjoyable on its own terms, but if this kind of music does peak your interests, then check out tortoise's "tnt" or the sea and cake or the sunburned hand of the man. it's not chicago and it's not 1996, and, in my opinion, this album doesn't command a lot of attention.