IF YOU RECALL BACK ON ONE OF THE EARLY COMPILATIONS THERE WAS A COALESCE-ISH GROUP CALLED BULLROARER. THESE TWO - COLIN (GUITAR/VOCALS MOSTLY) AND THOM (DRUMS/KEYBOARDS MOSTLY) - WERE IN THAT BAND. BUT USAISAMONSTER IS A DIFFERENT BEAST FROM BULLROARER ENTIRELY.
I ONCE PUT USAISAMONSTER ON AND MY ABIDING MEMORIES OF THEM OTHER THAN THEY WERE REALLY SUPER GUYS IS THAT COLIN BASICALLY ASKED TO BORROW EVERY OTHER BAND'S GUITAR AMPLIFIER AND PUT HIS GUITAR THROUGH ALL OF THEM. LIKE ABOUT SIX AMPS. IT WAS COOL. THE OTHER THING IS THAT THEY ARE, AS THE COVER IMPLIES, INTO SOME ASPECT OF NATIVE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY. I DON'T MEAN THIS IN SOME DISPARAGING SENSE. THEY WERE UTTERLY SINCERE ABOUT THIS STUFF.
IT AFFECTS THEIR MUSIC BY BRINGING THEIR NOISE-ROCK ORIGINS TO SOME ATTEMPT TO SUGGEST NATURAL VISTAS AND THE FLOWING SPIRIT BETWEEN PEOPLE INTO THE ABSTRACT REPRESENTATION OF NOTES AND CHORDS AND RHYTHMS. I CAN'T QUITE EXPLAIN IT. THERE'S STUFF THAT COMES OUT IN THE LYRICS: THEY'RE INTO BALANCE, LIVING WITH THE LAND, THE HORRORS OF COLONIALISM.
I LIKE THE RECORD. I THINK THEY'D GO ON TO DO BETTER ONES. BUT NO MORE FOREVER, ANAL LIES, AND SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER ARE GREAT SONGS. A CRAP ANALOGY WOULD BE LIKE NEIL YOUNG PLAYING WITH LIGHTNING BOLT. CHORDY BUT MELODIC AND HAPPY WITH DISCORDANCE. IT'S DEFINITELY MORE NORMAL THAN MOST LOAD RELEASES. NOT QUITE CERTIFIED: GOOD BUT IF YOU DIG THEIR LATER STUFF THEN HERE'S STUFF THAT ROCKS A BIT MORE.
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