STARVING WEIRDOS – Land Lines

I like to pride myself as someone who is open to pretty much any kind of music for at least one listen. Sure, I know what I like and what I don’t like, but I’m always down to check out various kinds of sounds. Take Land Lines from Starving Weirdos: this experimental outfit out of northern California have been brewing up an eclectic batch of ambient material for more than 10 years. While their sound could be described chaotic, disorganized, and essentially be considered “noise” to the average listener, those who appreciate the minimalist — yet wildly intricate  – sounds featured on this album will find themselves taken in by what their ears pick up.

Most of the seven tracks featured on Land Lines walk a fine line between using natural elements and sounds and synthetic electronic tones, as a lot of modern ambient artists do. Vocals faintly drift in and out of cuts like “Periods” and the opening track “In Our Way,” but the album remains primarily instrumental. “Meditator” lulls the listener with its Middle Eastern vibe at the halfway part of the album, a truly mellow track. One of the more interesting tracks from Land Lines as to be “Dreams, Endless,” a song that incorporates a soft piano part that lightly plays along as the drones and jangly trumpets of the background come to essentially consume the piano’s sound.

The album closes with another Middle Eastern-influenced track, “Land Lines.” The sitar has its sound warped by effects and sound manipulation, only to bring the sound back to a fading drone to end the album.

Land Lines reminds me of the 2006 release of Dead Voices On Air’s From Labrador to Madagascar in the sense of the fine line walked between natural tones and manufactured electronic sounds. This album is not for everyone, as some will fail to see the artistic achievements made with this album. As Dead Voices On Air’s Mark Spybey says about his group’s music, it’s “music for the eyes.” The very same could be said about what Starving Weirdos have presented here.

(Amish Records, PO Box 1841, New York, NY 10013)