|
Conundrum:
SPITTING MANDARIN EP |
|||
|
|||
Reviews "Boston based Cyrus Sink has been carving out a curious little niche in the last few years. First came the "metallic scarecrow" that was Conundrum's "TEA", full of quasi-ethno feels and gritty scraps of sounds. "SPITING MANDARIN" visits may of the same places as its predecessor, but with new components in it's sound arsenal and a more refined Sink at the helm. MANDARIN brings strength in both its recorded quality and the economy of its composition. The layered effect remains the foundation of the music, but the effect is more realized here. Some elements of TEA appear again -- Sink's outstanding upright bass playing being one of them -- as well as some new sounds. The vocal incantation of "Urubamba," the way its outlandish rhythm dances around the percussion but never quite with it, exemplifies this record's maturity. Simply put, Sink employs more backbeats here than he did on the past album, and it is a wise digression, Using both programmed an live beats, the integrity of the compositions do not suffer from the addition of straight ahead hip-hop or dance feels. They are given a new context in which to flourish, and while it is certainly more Americaized than his previous recorded material, it is no less captivating or interesting. Sink and his cohorts continue to define the DIY movement with bold and imaginative recordings." - Northeast Performer, 1999 "I'm confused and I don't mind. I actually like it because I haven't got any idea what'll happen from second to second on any of these songs. This album is a good 45 minutes of deranged tape loops, bizarre samples, and foreign instruments. The music is erratic and totally unpredictable, deeply confusing and never dull. No lyrics and no real songs that are distinguishable by any real pop standards-just a colorful pastiche of beats and notes. It's all very interesting to listen to -- I'm sure I'd enjoy it even more if my THC levels were on the rise. But I can definitely appreciate the creativity involved in this project just the way I am. I'm not exactly sure where you could market something like this; it's hard to even imagine it in dance clubs, but I'm glad someone took the time to make something so brilliantly original. I'm very happy to have a copy of it." - The Noise, 1999 (K) "No real clues on the bugger. It dares you to judge it. Could be anything. And I like that. The packaging ( which I later learned is temporary) sugggested the early Pere Ubu, or the artsier stuff from the old Thayer street scene. Oblique. A guy in a concrete wateland at five in the morning. Belching smokestacks against a winter sky. Oops, where was I? I put it on and take a trip around the planet. This shit is whacked, and I mean that it in the nicest way. An attempt to describe it would only slight it. Let's just say it's a half dreamy-headtrip and half sound collage stuff. Straight rock purists look elsewhere. There's open space to roam in, but enough going on that it is'nt annoyingly minimalist. This is'nt mood music, it's between moods music, and sounds somehow structured in spite of itself. Lotta African, Middle eastern, and outer-space conjurin's here, but that's selling it short. It wont change the world, but I was quietly fascinated. I want him to show me how he does it, or at least let me play on the next batch. Folks, if you've got the software, please do try this at home." - The Noise, 1999 (Joe Coughlin) |
Free mp3 music downloads
01.TheLastDrag.mp3 02.SpittingMandarin.mp3 03.SpeedDemons.mp3 04.MythOfRa.mp3 05.WrestlingJesse.mp3 06.SexWithTheDevil.mp3 Total time 24:26 All songs copyright 1999 Cosmic Cartel. For private use only. Produced and recorded by Cyrus Sink. Cover photographs and design by Cyrus Sink 01. The Last Drag (Sink) 3:05 Cyrus Sink - Casio keyboard, acoustic bass, Fender Rhodes, percussion, guitar, flute, samples Robert Pehlke - Trumpet 02. Spitting Mandarin (Sink) 2:47 Cyrus Sink - Acoustic basses, guitars, percussion, keyboards, vocals, samples 03. Speed Demons (Sink) 1:20 Cyrus Sink - Guitar, acoustic basses, flute, cymbals, samples 05. Myth of Ra (Sink) 1:11 Cyrus Sink - Casio keyoard, percussion 06. Wrestling Jesse (Sink) 5:58 Cyrus Sink - Guitar, basses, Fender Rhodes, vocals, percussion, samples, kalimba, flute, piano 07. Sex wih the Devil (Sink) 6:08 Cyrus Sink - Guitar, drums, shenais, percussion, vocal, samples Robert Pehlke - Berimbau, slit drum, bombarde solo |
||