Customer Reviews

Untying the Not

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The nice thing about this album is that it truly is an "album." Unlike much of today's single driven music where artists focus on that one hit song, "Untying the Not" is a cohesive whole where each song flows into the next. The themes of the album are experimentation and exploration and SCI has definitely done that in regards to the music as well. This album may sound a bit strange at first to long time fans, but it shows growth and a willingness to transcend the "been there, done that". I've been a fan for several years now and was drawn to them originally because of the ease with which they blur and mix genres of music. This album does that in ways that I haven't heard before. While the bluegrass is sadly absent from this release, I appreciate their attempt at branching out. For SCI fans "Untying the Not" is worth checking out. If you are new to SCI and looking for a first album I would probably steer you to some of their older live stuff like "Carnival '99" or "A String Cheese Incident" to get a feel for the band first. All in all: a solid studio release from a very talented group of musicians.

I'm not particularly concerned with whether this album is better or worse than SCI's other studio releases. It certainly isn't like a live show. What I find especially strong here are the lyrics. They're meaningful - existential, spiritual, and often motivational.

The music itself moves from straightforward beats to wild techno stuff that I haven't heard the band do before. The first few times I listened I thought some songs were more interesting than others. Now the ones I thought were so-so are the ones that mean the most to me. The music strongly supports the themes of the songs - took a while for me to get it. In one song, a young lady sensually suggests three inspirational activities "...breathing, dancing ...creative ecstasy." I think this sums up the overall feel of the central parts the album, which are like a kaleidoscope of individual tunes that flow into one another.

This has turned into an album I can listen to straight through without hitting the skip button. Even if it isn't perfect on all counts, it's 4 1/2 stars to me, and I'll round it up to 5 because I like the overall concept. Untying the Not definitely has its own kind of beauty, because it makes a strong statement about living and enjoying life while we're here.

(Point of Clarification - This review was actually posted by my son when he was living with me and going to college.)

Amazing. SCI continually raises the bar for what I consider to be truly talented musicianship. It is fairly well known that SCI can play with the best of them live, but until this album their studio work was usually just a reflection of what the band can do live. However, this release proves that these guys are truly in a league of their own when it comes to versatility and creativity. This disc is a must have for anyone who is a fan of well developed, thought provoking music. SCI is a breath of fresh air from the seemingly ever-growing population of cookie cutter bands that are plaguing today's music industry. Keep up the good work boys. You have gained a fan for life in me.

A remarkable group, this String Cheese Incident. They play around with everything from rock and jazz to Latin, bluegrass, psychedelia, pop and reggae. They have no electric guitar - that slot's filled by acoustic/electric mandolin and violin instead. Their occasional live covers range from John Coltrane to Stevie Wonder, Nirvana, Queen, Jimi Hendrix and the Talking Heads. So needless to say.. they're not your average jam band. (And if the phrase 'jam band' scares you, rest assured that these guys easily avoid the endless noodling & soloing that's given talented improvising groups a bad name in some circles.)

And they tend to make and lose fans with each new album, it seems: just when we get used to whatever new mix of ingredients they've whipped up on the last one, they change all the rules. With UtN they've made the most radical changes yet. The tunes are more often slow and somewhat shadowy (and the lyrics a little more somber) than what's come before. They explored the possibilities of really utilizing the studio this time around rather than making a straightforward representation of their energetic live sound. Transitions between tracks float by in a haze of odd noises and voice snippets floating in the ether. The flow of the album is split into thirds; two sets of rock-SCI-style tunes sandwich a string of four accomplished instrumentals in the middle (with a brief a-capella bluegrass interlude squeezed in as well).

The instrumentals, more than anything else, show what a change of pace this disc is for the SCI. "Orion's Belt" and "Elijah" are gorgeous pieces of half-psychedelia burnished with some lovely sax work, like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon taken to a new planet. The even more trippy "Mountain Girl" floats in an endless dreamy haze of grooving drums and swirling synths, topped off with a rambling female voice echoing across the vast sky. And "Valley of the Jig" borrows a cue from the Afro-Celt Sound System, combining a mad-fiddling traditional reel with a set of booty-shaking techno beats. The regular songs are mostly on the more subdued side (though "Sirens" adds a hopeful reggae-fied chorus and "Looking Glass" is as sunny as the band's ever gotten), and the combined vocal harmonies are as sweet as ever.

While it's not their sunniest album, and not really the best SCI intro for newcomers (that would be Outside Inside), Untying the Not is a remarkably solid and well-crafted disc nonetheless. This is music that's thoughtful, intelligent, and pulled off with an exquisite skill no matter the mood. Pick up a different album or two, catch them live if it's at all possible.. and then spin this disc for a bigger glimpse of what they're capable of.

Edit: since I wrote all that, they've also put out a newer version of this album with a bonus disc. If you're looking to buy UtN I heartily recommend it instead of the single CD. The bonus disc has four studio tracks (20 min) left off the album: "These Waves," "Emma's Dream," "Dirk," and the full version of "Lonesome Road Blues," plus four live tracks (50 min) that show what magical sunshine they're really capable of onstage: "Skyway Jam", "It Is What It Is," "Shine" and "Texas." The whole package gives a much better picture of the SCI's whole range and I'd say it's almost as good an introduction as Outside Inside. If you're unsure about popping for a whole three-disc live set, give this a try first.

It's certainly interesting, totally different from anything String Cheese has done before. At times it seems like too much of a change in direction. Nevertheless, there are some good songs on here, but also a lot of stuff that sounds out of place and pointless.
The overall sound feels like a melting pot of different stuff that has been so mixed up it's hard to tell where everything came from. Fans of the band's live work will probably not like this too much, since there is virtually no jamming. There are some interesting instrumental songs in the middle of the album, but they are definitely not jams and they don't really show String Cheese's excellent musicianship, which is kind of a bummer. Many times it's hard to tell what instruments are doing what. I'm not really sure if this a good sign or not, but it gives the album a unified feel, while still having a wide variety of styles. If you've neve heard the String Cheese Incident before, stay away from this album for now because it's a bad representation of what the band sounds like.
The four songs that were cut "These Waves" "Emma's Dream" "Dirk" and the full version of "The Lonesome Road Blues" are actually better than most of the songs that made it on to the final album and it's kind of a mystery why they didn't make it. This is a fairly short album and there was definitely room for them.
This album takes some getting used to, but it's not bad, just very different. Most String Cheese fans will find it unsettling.

Look... SCI gets a LOT of criticism for ALL of their studio albums... "not original enough, not slick enough"... I happen to disagree with this standard verdict, but *here* we have the *most* experimental, well produced and over-all stylized effort by this remarkable band to date! YES there are traces of Pink Floyd and Phish and maybe even the Beatles... but this is not a BAD thing.... heck, Lenny Kravitz has made an entire career over such nods!! All the material here is interesting and inovative, and it is the most complete departure for thier "usual stuff." I was SO suprised by this disc! It was nothing like I expected, and took me about 5 listenings to view it properly.... but it was WELL worth the effort!! In this, it is a bold and risky effort, and for this I salute the band! I do not love all the tracks, but I at least LIKE most, and I look forward to hearing them jam on them live in future incidents! Hopefully, Omaha will be included in a future tour cycle! Thanks, guys! You are sooooooooo awesome!

I have been a long listener of String Cheese. I remember hearing my brother's fuzzy bootlegs from String Cheese shows when I was about 15. I am now almost 21 and I believe that Cheese does need a new sound but not necessarily for good. I have attended many a Cheese shows and I always have a good time. Yet many fans seem to have drifted away from the Cheese sound and have once again rejoined the Phish and Widespread Panic bandwagon. When I heard this album I to found myself asking "who is this?" Though at first I was shocked I began to settle into the sound of the album. The second song "Sirens" begins with a hard and raw Galactic sound but kicks into the usual playful up-beat Cheese sound. Song #4 "Orion's Belt" contains a Pink Floydish Dark Side of the Moon saxophone solo with a somewhat emotional kick. Though some of the songs inbetween drift into the ambient side you just have to stick with it to seek out the good stuff. Every CD has "those songs" which you always skip but isn't that what makes the good songs that much better? Song #7 "Elijah" gives you chills with it's beautiful string and piano collaberation. Though this may not be the normal Cheese CD I give them a lot of credit for going out on a limb. It seems that more groups need to take the same leap. Just because you take a risk doesn't mean your fans will desert you. If they did, they wouldn't be very true fans now would they? I hear Cheese is now touring extensivly in Europe. Who knows what interesting ideas they could be combobulating over there. Lastly, doesn't new sound bring new set list and more exciting and unpredictable shows? Cheese can't stay in their Telluride bluegrass jam band mold forever. New days bring new ideas and new ideas bring new music. Have faith in the Cheese!

-There are two types of Cheese fans in the world; those who know of their music, and those who live their music. If you do not fall into either category, then sadly there is a good chance you will not like this album. This is an album for devoted fans that are familiar with both previous studio albums, and the magic that occurs in the audience at a show. With the exception of "Stand Up" and "Looking Glass," one will find little similarities to the Cheese they know and love.
-If you enjoy or at least appreciate Phish's "Round Room," you will certainly feel many of the same things about this album. As with "Round Room", this album was created in a very short amount of time, recording many songs on the first take. This rough approach to the studio album is certainly revolutionary, but poses the question: WHY? The answer lies within in the band. More so than the band's thousands of devoted fans, this album is for the band itself. Many raw emotions and references to real life experiences can be found in several tracks. I would advise all listeners to explore the album's section on stringcheeseincident.com, as it explains the motivation for writing each track.
-Ever since they released "A String Cheese Incident" in 1997, Cheese has been a live band. The extreme energy of their live shows is responsible for 99% of their success. As with other jam bands, on any particular night, Cheese composes a unique set list from a vast array of songs. Generally, these are made up of; cover songs, traditional songs, songs written while on the road, and songs from STUDIO ALBUMS. Adding 12 new songs to the mix, creates 12 new possibilities in concert, and the potential to create something live that was never intended or expected in the studio - and that's what live music is all about. For those fans who bash this album, I pose this simple question, "If the true essence of Cheese is found live, then how can you judge this album before hearing these songs live?" String Cheese has written this album as musicians, for the sake of writing music in an original, uninfluenced, and pure form - During a time when American music is well...not at its best, this album deserves much respect.
-nick barlow (See y'all in Vegas 2003)

What a great album. You can hear the influence of their new producer (Youth) in many of the songs. What a surprise selection of producers. It keeps in line with all great English rock records. Dare I say Floyd, Zeppelin? Not many of these types of Albums are made anymore, do yourself a favor and give it a listen. The new songs sound very good in concert. I like the new trend towards a little edge exploring death, life and everything in between. Nice work SCI, I can only imagine what you guys will do next.

Beautiful. A band catergorized as a "Jamband" (a bluegrass based one at that) creates a studio disc filled with electric wizardry and soundscapes ala Todd Rundgren, Spirit and The Orb.
A much needed escape from humdrum recordings in which bands treat the recording studio as a demo making machine just so they have some new material to play on the road. Think "Farmhouse" or "Round Room" by Phish. Both have no reason to exist or to be bought. Get the live versions.

Here, SCI takes a risk, steps far away from its live show reputation, and creates a work that stands alone and unto itself.
A headphone mindtrip rebirthing a tradition that extends from The Beatles to Tool.
There is a reason for all those psychedelic notions in music and it wasn't just some cat jamming for hours on his guitar.
It's also about discs like In Search of the Lost Chord, Are You Experienced?, and Dark Side of the Moon. Discs like Untying the Not.
Thanks for a very inventive Incident, boys.