ALEXANDER HACKE
Sanctuary (Koolarrow Records)
Reviewed by Erick Mertz

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With my naive introduction to Brian Eno/David Byrne's 1981 album My Life In The Bush of Ghosts the idea of music as tapestry became all too real. Suddenly all the disparate pieces of everything I'd heard could be woven together in a seamless, imaginative -- well, that word tapestry comes up again, because it is the most apt one I could think of then and now. Since that introduction, since my stumbling across that record in the oft neglected back corner of my radio station, my tastes in experimental rock and progressive rock has leaned heavily toward its very evident strength of purpose.

The hope was that Alexander Hacke's record would make just such an artistic statement. In a perfect world it would resolve some of the feelings of alienation from the overtly worldly industrial leanings of Einsturzende Neubauten's work, and re-invigorate that once naive musical sense. Hacke gathered up accomplished members of The Jesus Lizard, The Germs and Swans to create Sanctuary and the results often lean toward inspired, but on the whole, come off quite overwhelming. There is so much room to evolve as evidenced in "Sister" and the title song that goes wrong elsewhere.

It seems as though Hacke and his band grow tired of stroking the long, subtle beard of irony at points throughout and bring to bear an all out audio assault onto the listeners of Sanctuary with vengeance. I found myself half way through looking for the songs I'd sought, and a timeliness that would never come.

© 2005 - Erick Mertz