Lanky But Macho is a ten-song compilation of live tracks, unreleased songs, and demos from the UHQ vault. Evidently, "Quartet" is a lot like the word "trilogy" when used to describe books and movies -- there are five members this time out.
As with prior outputs from this group, they are all over the map musically. "Speed Limit" is a bluegrass number, while "Praetorius," a ten-minute instrumental, is an Irish/Victorian waltz that at certain points approaches classical music. There are also lots of short verses followed by extended solos or jam sessions. The best of these is "Coal Miner," where the music evokes The Doors.
"Skipping Stones" features the blazing guitar work of Jeremy Szopinski and "Stars Look Down" is another song that demands to be noticed.
Look out for the hidden track, "Dog Song"--the only hint I will give is to think of The Darlings, the mountain family/band that occasionally appeared on The Andy Griffith Show.
A sprawling effort with no real cohesiveness, Lanky But Macho still somehow manages to hold the listener's ear, perhaps because of the different styles of each song. An entertaining album, if nothing else.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Michial FarmerThe absolute worst mathematicians in the business are back with a collection of "live tracks, home recordings and unreleased studio gems." There's five of them this time around, augmented by a small army of guests. What they're offering is ten outtakes--certainly up to par with UHQ's previously-released material, but for some reason left on the cutting room floor. There's a couple of things that…Similar sounding releases
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