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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Play this in church, and pass out lyric sheets . . ., April 18, 2002
The still young West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band was given totally free rein for this record. The stories they came up with, and how well they played and sang them, really have to be experienced to be believed. Should this be required listening for all high schoolers? Maybe so. But what about us oldsters, too? I say, play it in all the churches, temples, and mosques.The band hired a new engineer for this and for their third (final) album. He was plentifully more gifted, and at his hands, their sound went from slightly above average to awesome (uh, full and rock solid). The drums took on an added melodic presence, and when he resorted to tricky panning maneuvers in the middle of songs, they came off menacingly integral to the progression of the song, rather than cute and/or trite. Though (to his extreme credit) he found the perfect type of reverb for their 'sound', at times he dialed in too much of it (or else didn't jack up the vocal track enough) to allow the lyrics to be heard clearly. All in all, though, the overall sound here is unbelievably spacious. "In the Arena" The record starts out making a statement satirizing police brutality against hippies, African-Americans, and other minorities. In addition to hearing the announcer and the backdrop of the brutal, roaring crowds at the [Los Angeles or Roman?] Coliseum where they are seemingly to be sacrificed, they sing instructions for non-violent civil disobedience. Musically, the up-tempo fuzz-tone Amboy Dukes sounding theme is bled into [at two spots] by kind of the band's version of 'Gregorian' chant. [4+ stars] "Suppose They Give a War and No One Comes". Song starts out with the band's original 'African tribal chant' then proceeds into a funky bass beat, over which the speaker intones his anti-war manifesto. After this is a long fuzz-tone/grunge solo section, then a sung chant "Here the marching . . . hear the drums . . . suppose they give a war, and no one comes." Near the end, in the background are sounds of war and the agonized cries of its victims. [5 stars] "Buddha". I really like the idea of 18-year-olds writing on this topic. They are supposed to be too young to know about such things, ha ha! This 'text' is fluid, deep, and dense [in its own way]. "You have a perfectly round tongue painted green, and a fountain, and a mountain . . ." Chronicles directions for the inward journey. [5 stars] "Smell of Incense" starts sounding like a top-notch 'heavy' psychedelic tune, with gorgeous sounding grunge guitar, which recurs at a couple of solo sections. But the song gets a bit jazzier during the long verse/chorus sections, where it's unbelievable how all the instruments are panned left, and the singer to the right--and yet it sounds perfectly mixed. The combination of the drums/bass with a plucked guitar ostinado drives the listener into trance-like territory. The drums are positively melodic here. Tells of the beginnings of a love affair, mostly by suggestion. Can be gloriously moving if you're in the right mood. [5+ stars] "Overture" is a bit of a lark--just a one-note fuzz-tone guitar drone, panning alternately right and left, followed by a long drum solo. "WCPAEB Part II" is a kind of reprise of "High Coin" from the first album/CD; it, too, is an instrumental--the style of both is the same, though the tunes are different. Of course, the sound is just a touch heavier, [as on all the tunes on this and their final album] including the signature reverb applied by their talented new engineer. [3 stars or so] "Queen Nymphet": is very sweet, mellow, mid-tempo country rock á la Buffalo Springfield and/or Moby Grape. "You're too young, you're just a child, a grain of sand, a willow still bending." Definitely the innocent 'prelude' to the song that immediately follows [4½ stars] "Unfree Child" begins with an ominous sounding intro of power fifths punctuated by drum and cymbal crashes, then a brief conga interlude leads into a boogie blues number, á la Canned Heat, another Southern California band. More school-age angst "Nothing strange will happen . . .she has to do her thing . . . let her be free." [4+ stars] "Carte Blanche". The band gives a nod to the likes of the Amboy Dukes, and, in an even more pointed way, to early Led Zeppelin, though I don't know whether Zepp was around yet at the time. At points, the lead singer switches to high falsetto somewhat á la Robert Plant. A song about a young heiress who has gone away from home to live on an island, and a young man who pines and wails for her. [3½ stars] "Delicate Fawn" is bouncy country rock with twinges of ragtime. High English comedy of manners (bagpipes are mixed in with banjo), on the theme of seduction, and the loss and/or preservation of innocence/nobility. "I'd take her riding on my big estate . . . I'd talk to her about life." "Stay away from dirty old men." [4 stars] "Tracy Had a Hard Day Sunday" Bouncy mid-tempo jazz-rock, with a bit of Kinks/Zombies styling thrown in for good measure. Song is a tragic, mournful one about a young woman who happens to be a speed freak. Driving rhythm, with sensitive and passionate singing. [5+ stars]
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by West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band 
