Editorial Reviews Music Review:
Music Review
Johann Gottfried Müthel: Concerts And Chamber Music
Eastman American Music Series, Vol. 6
Do Re Mi (1999 Broadway Revival Cast) [Cast Recording]
Amazon.com
A lot of electronic albums seem like they were made in high-tech labs by detail-oriented hipster scientists. Those sorts of CDs contain coherent, finely crafted work sporting shiny surfaces and tidily worked-out rhythms. By contrast, The Messy Jesse Fiesta is a sonic jumble of lo-fi irreverence, goofiness, and imperfection. It's not hard to imagine this Oakland-based duo cutting loose in a playpen full of toys and computers. Unlike the work of other electronic mischief-makers, Blectum from Blechdom's music isn't really a form of audio assault; it's more like shifty and structured sonic play. The album is full of demented sounds: merry-go-round music going wrong, video game bleeps engaging in dizzy counterpoint, a dance bass line getting mocked by a queasy riff. Human voices--sampled, tweaked, or raw--pop up everywhere. They further heighten the funhouse quality of this strange and funny album. --Fred Cisterna