review of "Ism" from CMJ New Music Report

review of "Ism" from CMJ New Music Report
The quintet-plus-friends that goes by the quaint name of Smegma is led by the extraordinarily dubiously named Ju Suk Reet Meate. Add in the group's penchant for unusual instruments (mussette, clavinet, marimba, cornet) and the fact that the other four members of the band are listed as Dr. Id, Oblivia, Burned Mind and Amazon Bambi, and no one could blame you for thinking that Smegma is, well, a little weird. And it's true, they are weird, but the band's earned its reputation-it's been around for over 20 years. Smegma's basic technique seems to be taking collective improvisations and overdubbing them with tapes, occasional monologues, and random strangeness-songs, or even grooves, are not the order of the day here, although the group's willing to draw on rock traditions where it's appropriate. (For a reference point, think of Can's more peculiar moments, or of the improvisational parts of Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 records.) Though there are a few headscratchers here, some of Ism's tracks work up some niftily strange sounds, notably the mindwarping a cappella tower of Babel called "Voxx (Wild Mix)" and the lengthy "Modern Living," which sounds like the soundtrack to an imaginary Jan Svankmajer-Salvador Dali collaboration. © 1978-1999 College Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

The quintet-plus-friends that goes by the quaint name of Smegma is led by the extraordinarily dubiously named Ju Suk Reet Meate. Add in the group's penchant for unusual instruments (mussette, clavinet, marimba, cornet) and the fact that the other four members of the band are listed as Dr. Id, Oblivia, Burned Mind and Amazon Bambi, and no one could blame you for thinking that Smegma is, well, a little weird. And it's true, they are weird, but the band's earned its reputation-it's been around for over 20 years. Smegma's basic technique seems to be taking collective improvisations and overdubbing them with tapes, occasional monologues, and random strangeness-songs, or even grooves, are not the order of the day here, although the group's willing to draw on rock traditions where it's appropriate. (For a reference point, think of Can's more peculiar moments, or of the improvisational parts of Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 records.) Though there are a few headscratchers here, some of Ism's tracks work up some niftily strange sounds, notably the mindwarping a cappella tower of Babel called "Voxx (Wild Mix)" and the lengthy "Modern Living," which sounds like the soundtrack to an imaginary Jan Svankmajer-Salvador Dali collaboration.
© 1978-1999 College Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tim/Kerr Records address:

Tim Kerr Records Inc.
P.O.Box 42423
Portland, OR 97242

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