NATURAL PARKLAND recorded: 1999-2001 / released: 2002 label: Bankruptcy (BPE003) format: CDr issue: selected release running time: 40:59 aka: Woodlouse

01: Cap of Estate 02: At The Forks 03: Garden Gate 04: The Old Song 05: Crotch of a Tree ___ a) there is nature ___ b) goutty de poix ___ c) crosswright ___ d) wind-heads ___ e) goutty des larmes ___ f) terraformed ___ g) i am the ground 06: Sangliant 07: Antique Whale 08: Military Bath 09: His Majesty Myself 10: Sleep Paralysis

file under: one of those obscure bedroom bands that is unfortunately all too easily looked over... to later be rediscovered by accident as truly classic. first of all, it was awfully nice of this guy to provide easy to follow directions for unfolding the insert... i'd be completely lost without this courteous gesture. what we have here is self described "lo-fi sloprock with guitar/keyboard/drum-machine tactics". can't argue there. but in the end it turns out to be one of those ventures that starts out as pure doodling, and winds up being a real gem. the cd starts out with "cap of estate", with an almost middle eastern feel to it with the lead guitar... and slowly speeds up over time. makes me think of those russian cossack dancers that do that thing where they squat and kick real high. then some static noise kicks in, leaving the listener to wonder "why? what is the purpose of mixing in the noise?", later to realize that it's probably better not to ask. then is slows down again, and is all relaxed, until the dissonant guitar noise hits you...... next we have "at the forks" with this dit-doo-dit-doo type keyboard thing that makes me think of that old tv series "get smart", followed by the main part of the song with harmonized vocals and guitar strumming...... "garden gate" and "the old song" both make me think of "pod" era WEEN... these tracks have that distinct "warm 4-track" feel, with their drum machine beats and simple distorted rhythm guitar parts, topped by improvised sounding "surf guitar style" doodling leads...... "the old song" has the added distinguishing feature of dark whispering vocals...... in the middle of the cd is my favorite part, "crotch of a tree" has seven movements, starting with a descending tone into a two part guitar deal, then rising up again into nowhere.... leading into a rather brooding reverbed guitar composition that makes me think of being up late at night on psychedelics, and staring out into a field of those white fuzzy dead dandelions glowing in the moonlight, transitioning into some rather woozy sounding doodleage.... what???? mice running around in the cupboard, you say??? yes, we have a skittering mouse guitar solo... then, whoops our little mousey pal just ate some mouse poison to a soundtrack of more distorto-geetar.... so he dies and the world forgets about him and we're back to tripping at 3:00 am watching the plants grow.... as "crotch of a tree" ends, it's time go get out your inhalants again.... i tell ya, if you like old WEEN you gotta get this... but eddy does it without sniffing scotch guard (tm)...... "sangliant" plods along heavily and lazily, as if after a hearty meal... makes me wanna lay down.... "antique whale" has a similar atmosphere as well.... this is drunken wino with a smile on his face-core at its finest! yup, just imagine a drunken wino after he eats a sub sandwich he found in the dumpster... he's all woozy and cozy... stumbling around the back alley ready to go sleepy-weepy... g'night mr. drunken smiley wino......... "military bath" certainly doesn't make me think of the armed forces or a bath.... seems more like an arbitrary title given to a song made by someone who programs a beat on his drum machine, lays down on the floor and gently strums his reverbed-out gwitarrrrr as a back drop to his murmur-core tune. "his majesty myself" consists of dissonant improv strumming, sort of like he's been drinking too much coffee and staying up too late..... wait!!! his peripheral vision is broken by something darting around as he plays his guitar..... ANOTHER, yes, ANOTHER of those damn skittering mice... not to worry mr. guitar player just sets out more mouse poison..... and all strung out from caffeine, he strums a proper tune to mr. mousey wousey losing his coordination as his life leaves his little body..... now that interruption is out of the way....... let's strum and improv some more!!!!! hooray for improv coffee strummulingus!!! now we're at the final track, it's time to put on your leather jacket dear reader....... why am i thinking about glenn danzig when i listen to this??? i won't venture to ask. but we finish out with a faster paced rocker with some monotonic murmur vox saying lines such as "please don't go awayyyy eeeyaaaayyyyyy".......... this disc is at a very decent 41 minute length..... not too long, but also as it ends you want to hear more. well, discriminating reader, i shall tell you, if given the choice between seeing PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, or watching CHAPEAU play live the next time i happen to be in toronto.......... the over-produced acid spill face love story will just have to wait another day. - M. Duncan (Black Mayonnaise), 2002