Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere “Eskimo Hair” (Independent, 2008)

Steed provides a well rounded collection

Steed makes a brave bid here by adopting a different style for each song, adding short instrumental passages and some narrated bookends and intermission which advise the listener on how best to approach the record. Amazingly it hangs together pretty well, the conventional, like the pretty, "Mid October Through Early January" or a polite Replacements like rocker "5 O’clock" can easily co-exist alongside beautiful short instrumentals like "Zvernyas" where cello and violin counterpoint against chiming guitars or "Temple, GA" where resonator guitar, bouzouki and piano join hands for a short dance.

There are constant mood shifts from the post-Katrina New Orleans horns on "Preservation Roof", the dampening vibes that douse the fire on "Movement" for a while until the songs blasts off with a shooting star of guitar. And there’s the flute and gamelan of "Is It Time?" that makes for a very strange middle eight. Not everything works and I wouldn’t expect it to, it is good to hear people taking risks and playing around with the possibilities of what a CD should be and when you throw in a couple of decent rock songs as a sweetener there’s much to love about this record.

Date review added:  Monday, November 03, 2008
Reviewer:  David Cowling
Reviewers Rating:
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