a  b  c  d  e  f  g  h  ij  k  l  m  no  p  qr  s  t  uv  w  xyz  v|a  0!9 
Thinguma*jigSaw "awakeinwhitechapel"


Thinguma*jigSaw are a self-proclaimed ?splatter-folk? duo hailing from Norway who now reside in Ireland. They call themselves Little Myth Ephiphanymph and the Severed Headmaster, but are really named Martha Redivivus and Seth Horatio Bunrombe, respectively. With their invented style, they combine elements of folk and avante garde music with horror movie sensibilities. On their debut for the Deserted Village label, they manage to hit all of the right notes and perfectly sum up splatter-folk for the casual listener. By combining an amazing pop sensibility with just the right amount of weirdness and unconventionality, Thinguma*jigSaw makes listening to ?Awakeinwhitechapel? an experience not soon forgotten.

The key elements on the album are banjo, saw, and flute with ethereal vocals to top them off. There is a barebones, lo-fi quality to the music, yet the group creatively arranges itself to make the most of its various parts. Even songs with only banjo and flute, for instance, sound surprisingly full-bodied, powerful, and complex. Throughout the album, there is a deep sense of melancholy that is both highlighted and enhanced by the amazing arrangements and careful use of sound.

Musically, the group pays homage to everyone from Daniel Johnston to Philip Glass. Most obviously, they offer a cover of Johnston?s song ?Walking the Cow? and an arpeggio-filled, flute and banjo Glass tribute called ?thinguma*qatsi.? Elsewhere, in other tracks, echoes of Johnston?s fractured pop and Glass?s dynamic compositions can be heard, yet never compromise the duo?s originality. One of their best tracks is the mostly instrumental piece ?a solid severance,? which beautifully combines banjo, both plucked and bowed, with eerie wordless singing and background effects. Another great display of the group?s skill is ?(awakeinwhitechapel) pt. 1 - redlightcockfight,? which is a menacing and tense piece with a mix of banjo, flute, saw, and deep background bass from a tone generator.

On top of all this, the lyrics bring an amazing layer of sinister humor and horror to the table. Basing their album on Jack the Ripper, the duo?s songs range from funny to downright scary. A great example of their lighter side comes on ?jumping jock flesh,? which is coincidentally about the best Rolling Stones homage in recent memory. On this track, the Severed Headmaster sings, ?you?ve popped your naughty nimbus / your spine, your soul, etcetera / your clumsy cunnilingus launched a glandslam brouhaha.? Conversely, the band offers up some dark poetry on the song ?(awakeinwhitechapel) pt. 4 - waltzofdeath? with the chilling line ?I know you?re frightened / but you?ll be enlightened / before this night is through / you?ll bleed on linen / but you?ll be free from sinnin? / I?ll eat your sins for you.?

?Awakeinwhitechapel? is an instantly striking album that grows even stronger with each listen. Reoccurring themes and ideas pop up across the album and with each trip through, the master plan becomes all the more apparent. Yet, even as the music grows more familiar, it does not lose its dark and mysterious feeling. Thinguma*jigSaw?s splatter-folk never fails to be surprising, plain and simple. Beg, borrow, or steal if you have to, but just make sure to get your hands on this amazing album. 10/10 -- Matt Blackall (14 November, 2007)

related features....
Thinguma*jigSaw Following their relocation from their native Norway to Ireland, the duo known as Thinguma*jigSaw quickly built up an audience in the Irish underground.... feature :: by Keith Wallace (28 August, 2007)
 

a  b  c  d  e  f  g  h  ij  k  l  m  no  p  qr  s  t  uv  w  xyz  v|a  0!9 
 

2 February, 2010
Le Syndicat "Timespace Losses 1982/1987" Essential listening... review :: by Michael Tau

Blue Sabbath Black Fiji "Gemini" CD-r Prepare to get your face buzzed off... review :: by Jan-Arne Sohns

Head Boggle "Clavioline Demo and Living Stereo" CD-r Head Boggle rules! Get boggled!.. review :: by Michael Jantz

Black Mayonnaise "Dissipative Structure" LP Debut vinyl, killer stuff... review :: by Paul Simpson

September Collective "Always Breathing Monster" Nice stuff on Mosz... review :: by Andrew Murdock Livingston

other new reviews....
Abstract Truth Totum
The Blue Hook Motor Oil & Whiskey
The Boats Words Are Something Else
Lauri Bortz Kung Fu Kitty DVD
Mark Bradley For the Monks CD-r
Jack Callahan Klangfarben tape
Cruudeuces Strange Magic 3'' cd-r
Disgust of Us Disgust of Us
Hypochondriosis Nothing Felt Like This
J/B Aerograph VIII 3'' cd-r
Lisa Jaeggi Oh Lady You Shot Me
Lunar Miasma Blackest Haze 3'' cd-r
Magic Castles Songs of the Forest tape
Mako Sica Noise Attic Session 2 tape
Micro_Penis Micro_Penis LP
Noise Cobra Tongue and Groove
Pigeon Religion Dead Boss 7''
Richard Pinhas and Merzbow Keio Line
Pivixki Pivixki
The Procedure Club It's Only Fair CD-r
Ethan Rose Oaks
Erik Satie 42 Vexations (1893)
Fredrik Ness Sevendal Tinoll tape
Symbiosis Orchestra Live Journeys
These Wonderful Evils Vermilion Sands tape
Toddler Body Afterbirther tape
Various Artists Comfusões 1: From Angola to Brasil
Various Artists Serge Modular Users 2009
Woodchucker/Jonatan Nastesjo Leaves Never Leave
Xiphiidae Sewn Within a Circle tape
You Are Home Phoneyhome
Richard Youngs & Andrew Paine Tokyo Garden Suite
6 October, 2009
O. S. T. Mining the fertile fields of film soundtrack music for ours and your aural pleasure... podcast :: by Jani Hellén

8 September, 2009
Pododocast Lots of stuff from V/A compilations this time around... podcast :: by Jani Hellén

11 August, 2009
basketweaves and merrows Summer is the time to swim in texture... podcast :: by Vanessa Rossetto

28 July, 2009
Summerdrool Part 3, Ephemera The Recently Reviewed, Old Classics, and Cryptic Debuts.. podcast :: by John Ganiard

23 July, 2009
Digitalis Preview 2009 A preview of forthcoming Digitalis & Digi Ltd biz.... podcast :: by Brad Rose
 
 
menu
2 February, 2010
Bill Orcutt After more than ten years of silence, ex-Harry Pussy guitar player Bill Orcutt released ‘An New Way To Pay Old Debts’, an acoustic hardcore blues record that sounds heavier than all the eclectic guitar records in your collection. It was the best album of 2009... feature :: by Joeri Bruyninckx

Utech Records Utech Records is a label out of Milwaukee that puts out some of the most cutting edge releases in avant-garde music today... feature :: by Dave Miller

26 January, 2010
Usurper The first thing that makes a Usurper show such a thrilling experience is the sudden and palpable sense of self-awareness..... feature :: by Joe Luna

13 January, 2010
Year End 2009 It's hard to believe that 2009 was only ONE year .. feature :: by Brad Rose

The Long Decline #10: 2009 Alright, 2009... a total motherfucker of a year with so much happening, where to start and where to end... yeah, I don't even know. But let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?.. feature :: by Brad Rose

16 December, 2009
el-g This past month, while laid up with that nasty flu bug, el-g’s recently re-issued “Tout Ploie” LP arrived in my mailbox from S-S Records and found its way to the turntable... feature :: by David Perron