| If you don't feel the open air sweeping back your hair, sense the dust collecting on your face, or see a beautiful (if dry and barren) landscape before you, then you're not listening to Shark Quest. Cello, guitar, mandolin, drums, bass and banjo create music fit for a surreal spaghetti western (not that they weren't all surreal) -- so yes, there's certainly a Morricone streak that runs through many of Shark Quest's songs. But there's a jaunty and mischievous cacophony that's always bordering on taking over the music, a distinct sensation that these fabulous musicians could easily bust into jazz, Progressive Rock, and/or junkyard rock a la Tom Waits at any time. The singular instrumentation helps promote this, as strings often create a dense cloud of sound pushed forward by powerfully dramatic drums. Titles such as "Chicken Strings" and "Crazy Laura" are wonderfully evocative, the latter setting up its subject matter with marching beats and a twangy, strangely perverse guitar line. And "Race Dragging" somehow manages to feel slow and driving at the same time, revealing how Shark Quest's abilities and musicianship allow them to create completely comprehensive moods and emotions. Find Shark Quest cds and Shark Quest records on Merge Records. |
