Like most of you, I'm usually disappointed by everything artistic that I allow myself to look forward to. Not this time. CAGED, the first CD offering from my friends Septimus Orion (featuring sensational cover art by the late Dave Cockrum), is frankly the best musical project I've heard this year, and one of the finest in several years. With the exception of my guest appearance (I read "Queers" on the last track), I keep playing it over and over like an old Pink Floyd L.P., with each playing bringing new nuances and a broader appreciation. The guitar work, the vocals, the subtle production work, the sanctioned violence by J.R. -- it all adds up to a superior musical experience. Jethro Tull meets Franz Kafka.Visit their website and download a track, then play it a few times. If you don't find yourself halucinating, I'll send you a mushroom.
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3 comments:
Thanks for the rec, Cliff. Love the cover illo...However, the designer should be SHOT for covering up Dave's awesome artwork!!! (How would the band like to have a DJ droning on and on over a third of one of their songs?)
*sigh*
Are you the only creative non-artist who respects artists?
I don't respect anyone, Michael.
Does the cover leave you feeling frustrated? That is what censorship does! You don't see this as the creative interpretation of art? I know, spray painting graffiti on a Matisse canvas is not creative interpretation, it is an act of defacement. I agree, and the cover of this CD is not defacement. It is making a point. Most importantly, the colored version of the work without the title CAGED plastered over the mouth is on the third panel of the insert; with muzzle in place, however. Are you referring to that as well? Because the version with the muzzle represents certain aspects of Cliff's story, as well as better fitting to other contours of the work; it is simply more appropriate than the original. Where is your respect for the evolution of art as a tool for contemplation?
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