Shinyville ‎– No Sleep Till Babylon CD

Shinyville ‎– No Sleep Till Babylon CD

(Aiding & Abetting No. 278) While I stand by Mushroomhead as the foremost metal incarnation of Faith No More, Shinyville might make the same claim on the "weird" music front. This trio of folks throws more ideas into the pot for one song than most bands do during a career. It's truly hard to believe that three people could replicate this stuff live. And maybe that's not the point. What is undeniable is the power of the music, a bass-heavy, keyboard-drenched throb infused with all manner of eclectic sounds and ideas. Every song lurches in a different direction before the three manage to corral it and bring the thing back into the fold. The writing is almost impossibly complex...and it works. The production has left the sound somewhat flat, which helps to highlight the wide-ranging flights within each song. Not one tidbit gets lost in the shuffle. You can hear everything, even though processing everything might make your brain explode. Exciting is an understatement. Invigorating doesn't begin to explain things. Shinyville is a truly unique beast, one that must be experienced to be believed. Shouldn't you be doing that right now? - Jon Worley

(Dead Angel No. 8) This is eccentric but catchy stuff; this trio from Omaha, Nebraska combines catchy dance beats, irresistible pop hooks, and a decidedly psychotronic approach, sort of like a more listenable and less scatalogical Mr. Bungle, or perhaps John Zorn on a pop kick. Actually, the Mr. Bungle comparison is appropriate in light of the fact that singer Mr. PanTastic often sounds very much in the same ballpark as Mike Patton, all full of eccentric dynamics and odd voices. The songs are built around more or less "traditional" pop structures, then exploded with strange sounds, whacked-out drum 'n bass grooves, left-field guitar weirdness, and other perverse musical escapades that still somehow manage to keep things hopping with an unshakable booty-shaking groove. Maybe this is actually what Funkadelic would have sounded like if they hadn't all been on drugs. (Then again, after seeing the way the band dresses onstage, I'm not sure these guys aren't sailing the sugar cube seas themselves.) This is unquestionably the closest PE has ever come to releasing a "rock" album, but it's still bizarre enough (and still grounded in sonic experimentalism) to fit in with PE's destroyed-freejazz / avant-garde aesthetic. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself getting up and getting down, just like Beavis and Butthead used to do, at any point during the listening process. - RKF