For the fifth release of Koncurrent's ...In The Fishtank series,
Chicago's Tortoise and Dutch avant-punksters The Ex team up for a
half-hour of improvisational music. The concept behind the
"Fishtank" series is an interesting one: bands touring through
Holland have two days to use a 24-track studio for whatever they
like, or as the liner notes explain, "regular songs, funny versions,
improvised pieces, etc." The results are then released on Dutch
record label Koncurrent. While the idea of two exceptional bands
teaming up sounds promising, the improvised results can be
disappointing. The characteristics that make a band's sound unique
may get lost amid the new elements introduced. Tortoise and The Ex
furnish some great minutes of music on ...In The Fishtank, but they
also get bogged down in the course of their improvisational
adventures.
If you like the layered, textured sound of Tortoise then "The Lawn Of
The Limp" and "Pleasure As Usual" are songs more apt to grab your
attention. These are also two of the more cohesive tracks on the
disc. "The Lawn Of The Limp" begins the album with a drunken, off-time
drum beat and a twangy, quickly-strummed guitar line. After this
introduction, the piece quiets down while an assortment of electronic
burps and a squawking horn add texture. "Pleasure As Usual" starts
with a simple, drum machine-fueled hip-hop beat. In step with the
beat, a minimal guitar line then weaves in and out as the vocalist
improvises a rhyming poem.
While improvisation can be a great release for the musician, it is,
more often than not, difficult for the listener. After these two
songs, the album's more cohesive side ends, and the noisier
improvisational music for which The Ex are known takes over. "Pooh
Song," the most listenable of the noisier songs, is an often slow
and moody, sometimes trashy guitar song with intense, sputtering
vocals. The remaining tracks have their moments, but end up sounding
like they are searching for something they cannot quite find. "Central
Heating" is a drony guitar-noise song with an accordion, and "Huge
Hidden Spaces" a collection of electronic and string noise.
All in all, ...In The Fishtank is a worthwhile album for hardcore fans
of either band, as good ideas are unearthed during the course of the
recording. Improvisational music is at its best when the musicians
involved can all contribute in some meaningful way. This occurs for
moments on this album, yet much space is filled with no real playing,
just bits of noise or choruses of guitar feedback.
If you like In The Fishtank, check out:
The Ex Starters Alternators
Tortoise TNT
High Rise High Rise II
-- Jason Dearen
