Demented Ravings
Of A Middle-Class White Boy
Media
and Industry
David
Messer
Juice Magazine October 1999
"Perhaps
sadly, the title is pretty apt. The best moments here, like "Faces
Staring Back at Me" sound something like Brian Eno meets
Captain Beefheart. The worst sound like grisly TISM outtakes.
Rating – 6/10"
Bryan
Beller
Mike Keneally & Beer For Dolphins / Wayne Kramer – Bass
Player
"It is certainly one of the most twisted things I’ve
heard in a long time...and I love the bass solo in “Never
Met An Angel”. It is the Anti-Bass-Solo, which is more noteworthy
than most of the bass solos I come across ...
I laughed very hard, and was entertained by the CD."
Terry
Allen
Heard Magazine
"An Australian
based project driven by Ian Robertson, who has been recording
his own music since way back. A lot of the material here is older
stuff, this album's worth released primarily so he can get this
clear & work on releasing some later material.
With the album dedicated to the late, great Frank Zappa, it's
little wonder that a lot of the songs here are definitely in
the mould of Zappa's music. The opening 20 second number "Up
The Duff", sporting all the hallmarks of Zappa's eccentricities
in his music.
On the other hand, songs like "Never Met An Angel"
& "Coffee Blues" port a more commercial style,
but there's still a lot of the essence of indie music at work
here. Self admittedly, Ian says of his own work that performances
could be better, but a lot of work has obviously gone into the
making of this album that it's hard to criticise. It'll be interesting
to see where he heads from here."
Col Gray
Vicious Kitten Records
"For material
recorded on 4 track, the overall sound is clear and punchy…’Tragic
Lumber’ had that definite BIG sound quality thing happening,
and the use of flute (?) really sets the mood. Nice change of
tempo.
‘Never Met An Angel’, good tune, catchy heavy riff/vocal
coupling that reminded me of early Megadeth. That’s a good
thing!
‘Empty Room’ the best tune on the record with lots
of appeal, and catchy enough to be considered radio friendly.
Nice, clean acoustic guitar and the all-important sweeping, catchy
chorus. I dug this tune, played it over and over again. Solid
structure. ‘Coffee Blues’, again simple, effective.
Good shuffle vibe."
Warren
Wheeler – Tertangala Sept 1999, University Of Wollongong
Paper
Hmmm...I’m not too sure about this one. Another one man
project, Odysseus’ Dog seems to be highly influenced by
the late Frank Zappa, with deep bass lines, quirky arrangements
and lo-fi recording remaining the top priority. My biggest problem
with this however is Ian Robertson’s lack of confidence
with his product. In his bio he admits he has better songs than
what’s offered here, and then in the slick he apologises
for the poor sound quality. Personally, I’m of the assumption
that lo-fi is an artform in itself, but when you record on a
4-track because you can’t afford anything better (as opposed
to actually wanting that sound) you're better off waiting until
your finances allow a better sounding album. Especially when
he delved into such poorly written tracks like ‘Never Met
An Angel’ and ‘Empty Room’. There are some saving
moments but they are few and far between.
FANS
*Demented
Ravings of a Middle Class White Boy is a very wonderful CD
that everybody should get right now from Ian Robertson. How the
f$%* did you make such a cool thing Ian? I'm jealous.
* …the
sound was amusing and striking at times, but I was not sure when
to stop listening and relax with the sounds, when to let my guard
down and feel safe…I think this is a good thing.
*The tunes standing
out in my mind after one listen are Grinning Fool (cool
bass sound), Faces Staring Back At Me. I LOVE Tragic
Lumber, and The Pancho Gonzales
Song. Coffee Blues I liked alot. And Anthem for
a Nobody.
*Really different.
I like it because of that.
*It is not everyday...
it is a rambling of a Zappa student and someone who clearly enjoyed
the time spent creating sounds both formally and with less conventional
intentions, if not methods as well.
*...my sister
reckons ‘Odysseus’ Dog’ is the best name for a
band that she has ever heard!
Intimate Acoustic
Ravings, Live 1999
David
Stovall
I LIKE this
acoustic set, man! My favorite so far is Empty Room - that's
just a cool song. Something about it's reminding me of Neil Young.
I
hadn't noticed it so much on the earlier ravings, but playing
acoustic
really lets the 'song' shine through more in some cases than
the effects and
distortion. I like!
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