Self-Titled

Review by Alphonse Leong

If you have the slightest interest in original music, you've gotta listen to this disc! Recorded on a four-track recorder with amplifier crackle, microphone bumps and tape hiss left intact, these sparsely-arranged songs by guitarist Earl Einarson and vocalist Jan Halvarson are a refreshing trip. Halvarson's spooky little girl delivery, Einarson's murky, often dissonant guitar work, and the enigmatic singsong lyrics (e.g. "She says she knows/She knows nothing!" from "esther") combine to create a peculiar canon of dreamy poetical soundscapes.

On "frances" (for some reason, all the songs are titled with first names, including "earl" and "jan," of course), the two start off pleasantly singing together: "Blue morning, it's a blue morning," and then veer off into separate contemplative digressions. And the whole disc is like that -- strange twists of moods and song form, with no allegiance to any musical style. This may not be stuff you'll put on in your car, but if your mind needs a little stretch, this CD is just the ticket.

Artist Contact Info: #342, 916 W. Broadway, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V5Z 1K7, arson@thewebcafe.com