CENTRO-MATIC
South San Gabriel Songs/Music (Idol Records)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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It seems a little odd to be reviewing this disc on a beautiful spring day. This is music apparently meant for those days when black seems colorful. Full appreciation would probably involve an all-black wardrobe in a room with black walls lit only by the LEDs on your stereo. Better yet, paint the LEDs flat black. If you want to introduce some color into the environment, red pills might be the most appropriate accessory.

And yet, even on a sunny spring day, with the windows open to catch a refreshing breeze and the birds chirping away in the distance, I gotta admit that this is pretty well crafted music. Sure, these guys probably haven't seen anything but their shoelaces for a long time, but somehow they manage to infuse their dirges with hooks, and while they're not into a variety of tempos, they do draw on a variety of sounds. The quintet uses over a dozen instruments, with one member devoted to "additional noises, feedback and various sounds," to create a diverse palette of sonic experience behind the enigmatic lyrics sung by pianist/organist/violinist/bassist/vocalist Scott Dambom. It's dark, it's moody, sometimes it's downright whiney, but it works.

And it might get you in good with that goth girl or guy of your dreams.

Track List:

Ninety Secretaries Down * Proud Son Of Gaffney * To Accompany * The Fireworks Treatment * With Broken Hands * The Ensuing Light Of Day * One-Hundred Thousand Bridesmaids * Glacial Slurs * Innocence Kindly Waits * Destroyer

© 2001 - Shaun Dale