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As is my usual routine when picking up
a new piece of music, I purposely ignored the press kit that
came with Gunnar Madsen's "The Power of a Hat." The
name didn't ring a bell, but I was intrigued by the cover art
(usually a good sign) and put it at the head of the pack for
this month's new listening. What met my ears first was "Naked
in the Garden" and I thought, "What the hell is this?"
It started out funky enough, but weird and not necessarily pleasant.
I'm happy to say however that by the time this track reached
the halfway point, I was hooked.
Turns out this guy is more of a "name"
than I originally thought. Making up part of the '80's acapella
sensation "The Bobs," Gunnar and company was responsible
for one of my all-time favorite remakes -- the acapella version
of "Helter Skelter." But Gunnar Madsen has picked up
the instruments for this CD and proven that he's even better
when there's some music to back him up!
I'm not so sure that "The Power of
a Hat" is for everybody out there. While the music is certainly
well executed and about as eclectic as one can get on a single
CD, the lyrics were disappointing - I just didn't get where he
was coming from most of the time. I'd file Gunnar Madsen somewhere
between Peter Hammill (for his eclectic taste in song styling)
and Adrian Belew (for his vocals and strange taste in lyrics).
Two songs stood out as absolute winners
in my book however, making "The Power of a Hat" a buy
for anybody serious about experimental music. One was the piano
ballad "Something Special," the stark simplicity of
which just struck a chord with me as I remembered many events
in my own life that mirrored those of the song. "Something
Special" was the track that really drove home the parallel
between Madsen and Peter Hammill.
The other song I absolutely loved was "Gentle
Is the Lamb." I think that the song could have been more
powerful lyrically in spots, but the tribal beat and backing
melody took me by surprise and kept me hitting the repeat button
over and again.
I don't want to make it sound like I didn't
like the rest of this album. Yes, my work is done here and I
don't have to listen to "The Power of a Hat" anymore.
But I probably will anyway. The music keeps me coming back for
more. The lyrics have yet to grow on me. Check back in a year;
maybe I will have changed my mind. |
