Feng Shui by Doldrums (Review)

Is there a “Virginia” sound yet? Labradford, Doldrums, and Pelt might could make a case for there being one. That sound would be of pastoral droning, from Labradford’s (now) space-spaghetti landscapes to Pelt’s howling, raw n’ bloody barren wildernesses. All would take place on the sides of the highways of the south, and somewhere in between is Doldrums. Thicker sonically than both bands, more aggressive than Labradford, yet not riding the *hippie war machine* (possibly the greatest song title of 1997, from Pelt’s Max Meadows) as Pelt.

This CD explores relatively unblazed territory in ’90s drone. Most bands of this ilk (what’s ilk anyways?) are content to find a good tone and ruminate on it for 20 or so minutes, not bad in my book, but the Doldrums flesh this out with another of my musical loves, percussion. There’s some stylish drumming on this album, tight rhythms that make the trip up to the stratosphere one a more driving one. Doldrums takes the forward motion of space jam bands like Magnog and favors more monolithic textures to the lead-guitar like colorations of the former.

However, when it comes to leads, Bill Kellum of Doldrums makes the idea not such a bad one, cutting a corker off in the middle of Ascending Copper Mountain that recalls Mahavishnu-era John McLaughlin or Robert Fripp rather than Eddie Van Halen. Such proficiency is mocked by Kellum himself on the VHF Records website (Which he runs, he’s possibly the funniest man in ’90s indie rock), but I’d say if he wasn’t proud of it, he could just as easily not put it on the record. Nothing to be ashamed of Bill, so next time, raise it in the mix.

Solo spots aside, the Doldrums get a good drone on as well, a couple of pieces reminding me of some of the darker material on Stars of the Lid’s Ballasted Orchestra album. Fans of Flying Saucer Attack’s ahem, less electric, material will also find a lot to love here, as quasi-Arabic/Spanish/Indian rhythms and one-two chord jams on acoustic raise their beautiful heads about three times on this disk.

Wonderful CD, looking forward to more, and to getting the rest of this band’s back catalog.

Written by Pearson Greer.