Perhaps you think Radiohead is confusing. If that's the case, prepare to enter a whole new realm of how truly bizarre music can be. Actually, regardless of your thoughts on Radiohead, you'll find The Desert Fathers bizarre. But we're just getting started...
The Desert Fathers is composed of Acquaman, The Real, and Levitas. Who are these guys? I haven't the faintest idea, but I can tell you what they've done on their debut The Spirituality. They have created the first truly original album of the 21st century. This is a constant battle between consonance and dissonance and honestly, I'm still not sure who wins. But I do know it's one heck of a fight.
Some of the album's tracks are chants, many are wild guitar romps, and a few are guitar drones from out of nowhere. We've got some spoken word here (though certainly not of the kind you're used to hearing. "At first the monkeys in Africa were running wild, swinging from tree to tree on the vines, eating bananas, throwing coconuts at one another," is just one example). The most enjoyable moments come on the aforementioned wild guitar romps, with "The Art of Reason" sticking out at the top of the list. But I'm pretty sure that The Spirituality wasn't created with enjoyment as the foremost goal.
It's quite obvious from one look at the liner notes that this album takes a good deal of thought to come to understand and appreciate. I'll be honest, I still don't totally get it. One thing I can tell is that the album is a spiritual journey that takes place through dreams and characters who meet other characters. There are some strange images to be found. In the aforementioned "The Art of Reason" we see that, "On his morning walk, the Professor happened upon two dogs sniffing each other. Appalled, the Professor decided to intervene, imploring the animals: 'You must allow me to reason with you.'" It is in short snippets like this that The Desert Fathers dish out profound truths. All the listener can do is dive in headfirst and get started on trying to understand it all.
Is this an album that you will want to listen to constantly? Probably not. But it is so intriguing that you will want to come back every few days and see if it will make any more sense. Odds are that as time passes by, it will.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis February 2004Reviewed by Mike LeechThis album definitely takes a few listens to get a handle on. I still don't know exactly what to make of it. I do know that a handful of the songs, like the screeching, foot-stompin' rocker "A Practical Joke", the insanely catchy slide guitar fest "The Art of Reason", and the beautiful, reflective "Focus", are among the most creative and well executed songs I've heard in a while. But I also know…The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Barry NothstineOh, this one was FUN to review folks. The Desert Fathers are named after an ancient monastic order whose members withdrew from society to live alone. In the desert I wisely presume. They have created a 1/2 hour musical masterwork that defies description and demands repeat plays. The Spirituality is one of the most fun, original, genre-mixing bits of musical mayhem that I have listened to in a…Similar sounding releases
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