Misterlee “This Disquiet Dog” (Rubber Czech Records, 2010)

Weird, disturbing, compelling

Misterlee (Lee Allatson and guitarist Jamie Smith) inhabit a strange place. A land where The Birthday Party and The Pop Group rule the airwaves with side helpings of the Fall and Julian Cope. Encapsulating this into an eight-piece album proves a test of nerves for the listener who might be unnerved by the experience. Brave explorers who persevere into the hinterland however will emerge with strange tales to tell.

'Adolph Hitler' opens the album with a voice (very much like Robin Hitchcock’s) speaking before cacophonous guitar and percussion crash in. Allatson’s percussion is a primary feature of the album, experimental, invasive, inventive, it drives all before it. This is matched by Smith’s guitar and no more so than on the following song, 'Stags of Schipol' where he creates sounds that seem to come from another universe. The song itself is a seven minute spoken piece punctuated by musical sculptures that turns a tale of a stag weekend into something like 'The Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner'.

'We’re Alive Here' is notable by its adherence to a normal song structure proving that Misterlee can rock out and almost sound like the late Fatima Mansions. 'The Easy Apple' is another song poem, a piece of musique concrete portraying the fall from Eden that has a perverse response prayer in its midst, almost a parody of a Mass with grungey guitar (think of John Zorn’s The Big Gundown) thrashing behind it. Brave and exhilarating stuff here.

Overall not an easy listen and not Americana (although a banjo is to be heard) but recommended to any who prefers guitars that sound as if they come from Mars.

Date review added:  Thursday, February 25, 2010
Reviewer:  Paul Kerr
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  Someone summon a hypnotist