Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Artist: Ed Wood Jr.
Label: Swarm Records
Release: 2010
Duration: 13:35
Rating: 4.6/5
So it’s time for a parallel reality. A record that sounds almost like a punkish party has everything that may have made you fall for Ed Wood on the album and worm its way into your subconscious. Inspired by Don Caballero, Battles and From Monument To Masses, Ed Wood Jr. come across on the EP in a surprisingly easygoing, listenable way. If the album Ruban De Möbius is truly hard-to-digest noise rock avant-garde, Feats is the watered-down extract. It flirts with sweeter guitar passages, an energetic yet more ethereal musical approach, complex syncopated rhythms and a slightly softer sound. Ed Wood Jr. sound like a full-blooded rock product, and the duo with the schizophrenic helm is joined by a proper crew of friends from Cercueil, Tang and Klang, who dress up the already-heard in a slightly altered, retailored outfit.
Three tracks in a mere thirteen minutes breathe a bit of jazz soul into your surroundings, infused with samples and a tendency to shoot you into the orbit of total unknowing. The alternative flavor flirts with the American scene, and many will find parallels with the cult but sadly underrated Fugazi or the ever-avant-garde Mogwai. The opening track Zemzan follows this principle, with the original lineup of the two main “culprits” rounded out by Nico Cercueil and Bastian Tang. A fusion of jazzy drums, carefully considered guitar riffs and heartfelt, hard-hitting brutality sends this hellish collaboration off on a journey of uncovering a world of possibilities – each friend shows how they’d tackle individual Ed Wood tracks in their own way. Every ear has its own painter, but what remains is a brilliant musical performance that screams for radio airplay. Well, almost screams … The track Art Brut takes you into somewhat smokier spheres, with stolen guitar sounds from the double bass of ex-Floyd man David Gilmour’s band, and the rich palette of different musical styles is once again, despite seemingly incompatible elements, completely functional and thrilling. What you’ve heard wraps up in a cacophony of guitar sounds on Горы , leaving you once more in a state of utter amazement and delight.
As said, the EP may even be the better icebreaker for getting to know this extravagant French duo. Ed Wood are capable of chameleon-like transformations, with punkish rococo richness on one side and design minimalism on the other. The music is the only factor that matters. Everything superfluous, everything that might throw you off, has been stripped away. If you’re a devoted advocate of the catharsis of chaos and bold, daring taboo-breaking, this EP is just right for you. After listening, the drooling and the hellish need for a repeat performance just won’t die down …
Lineup
Olivier Desmulliez – guitar, vocals, keyboards, sequencer
Thibault Doutriaux – drums, samples
Guest musicians:
Nico Circueil – MS20, synth, electronics, guitar, bass
Bastien Gournay – drums, vocals
Mathieu Deprez – double bass, vocals
Ben Klang – guitar
Production
Olivier Tservrancx
Track list
1. Zemzan feat. Nico Cercueil, Bastien Tang
2. Art Brut feat. Mathieu Deprez a.k.a. »Contrabasick«
3. Горы feat. Ben Klang
