Tubelord - Our First American Friends

  by Russell Ferguson

published: 7 / 11 / 2009

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Music for me from the early to mid 70’s doesn’t hold much interest. With the exception of David Bowie, Marc Bolan and Roxy Music, most of it for me was too intricate and clever for it’s own good. When punk reared its head into the limelight to put the death nail into the coffin of prog rock ,it was a good day. Today there are some bands that carry on the mantle of fiddly music and I have to ask myself why? Why hark back to an era of music that was so poor? Tubelord with ‘Our First American Friends’ are copyists from the past. They use the same blueprint and it’s hard to listen to… or should that be suffer through? I really don’t enjoy music that jerks and stumbles from one chord to another. For me music should flow and have timing and rhythm. It is something that is instinctive and it just feels right when you hear it. Music should be a pleasure to listen to, not something that makes you lose the will to live. There are few, if any, highlights for me on this album. I just wanted time to go by quickly, but instead it dragged by very slowly. I am trying to find links and comparisons for others to relate to. Kids with triangles strike to mind but that for me is just being cruel. Think more hippies doing rock but being tired out at the full on rock parts and just taking a rest to catch up on their energy and then repeating the process. It jerks and stumbles, starts and stops. The funny thing is these guys can play the instruments and play them very well but like jazz. It just doesn’t sit easily or comfortably. There are songs such as ‘Synthesize’ ‘Night of the Pencils’ and ‘Stacy’s Left Arm’ that sound like they are about to get somewhere, but then comes a change of tempo in mid song and that just ruins the whole effect for me. Maybe I am not the best person to review this band but I am left with one thought. Do those with a liking for Prog-Rock lack natural rhythm?

Track Listing:-

1 Your Bed Is Kind Of Frightening
2 Somewhere Out There A Dog Is On Fire
3 Night Of Pencils
4 Stacey's Left Arm
5 Propeller
6 He Awoke On A Beach In Abergavenny
7 I Am Azerrad
8 Cows To The East, Cities To The West
9 Synthesize
10 Our First American Friends

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