Cerberus Shoal
http://www.cerberusshoal.com
styles: free-from instrument manipulation, drone-experimentation, avant-rock
others: Sun City Girls, Sunburned Hand of the Man, No-Neck Blues Band, Faun
Fables
 The
Land We All Believe In
North East Indie, 2005
rating: 4/5
reviewer: w.c.
After being ridiculously addicted to the cast recording of Jesus Christ
Superstar as a kid, my parents thought it would be a good idea if we
all went to see it when it came to town. To my surprise, I found it sad to
see people caked in make-up and dancing around. Everything was
over-exaggerated, and it felt like people were trying way too hard to
impress me. I thought it must be humiliating for these performers to have
to act in such a way, and as a result, I felt embarrassed for them. It was
like watching a mime with just a couple more tools. I began to wonder why
boisterous, overdramatic performances filled with abrasive, nearly out of
tune vocals, are perfectly acceptable in musical theatre. Regardless of
whether I like musical theatre or if seeing that performance of Jesus
Christ Superstar permanently scarred my opinion of the art form (it
didn't), the stage has definitely informed what Cerberus Shoal is putting
on the table. Bringing the theatre to rock music is a specific stylistic
approach that usually has a polarizing effect on people. Simply put, there
are some bands that sound like they were the theatre kids in high school:
The Fiery Furnaces, Tarantula AD, etc. It's as though they're making
musicals or rock operas, but without the theatre part of it. Maybe the
genre is more akin to radio plays than anything else.
Produced by Scott Colburn of Sun City Girls fame, Cerberus Shoal's 11th
album features them at their most theatrical and lyrical. Between their
band constantly having a rotating line-up, no obvious leader and every
member participating equally, they sound more like a Socialist art commune
with vaudeville leanings than a rock band. Each song features a different
combination of singers, and the effect is similar to old friends taking
turns telling stories around a campfire. Through eclectic instrumentation,
their songs travel the continents of the world and beyond (although they
actually reside in Portland, Maine). The album opens with a stomp that
recalls The Pentangle or Fairport Convention at their most unsettling, and
it's a downward spiral into madness from there. Like Alice in Wonderland,
when it seems nothing could be as strange as what just happened,
expectations are proved wrong. Their music enters a world of surreal
make-believe yet is filled with didactic lyrics that paint clear pictures
of human life and the over-bearing political climate in which we live.
Each song evokes visions of philosophers, decadence, war; and although
they're not naming any names, we know exactly who they're talking about.
As inviting as Cerberus Shoal are and as much as they capture imagination
and fantasy, their music also comes with a certain heavy-handedness that
can feel alienating. Making music that is smart and well-informed
certainly isn't a bad thing, and I wish more artists would use their power
of influence to educate, but Cerberus Shoal occasionally get lost in their
own language. What could be quite powerful is often obtuse and becomes
exhausting.
There's no doubt that Cerberus Shoal are doing exactly what they want, but
often times role-playing can feel disingenuous. It's not their fault;
actors put on a show and portray lives other than their own. It's a
discipline that Cerberus Shoal are influenced by and they shouldn't be
criticized for it. They're singing their guts out and have tremendous
passion, but it's a cast that takes off their make-up after the album
ends, and this is bound to deter some listeners. Nevertheless, The Land
We All Believe In is a triumphant epic that I remain humbled by, and
anyone interested in good political commentary/satire or surreal theatrics
should have a lot to sink their teeth into.
1. The World We All Believe In
2. Wyrm
3. Pie For the President
4. The Ghosts are Greedy
5. Junior
6. Taking Out the Enemy
 Bastion
of Itchy Preeves
North East Indie, 2004
rating: 3/5
reviewer: jean-pierre
That list of like-minded artists wasn't put there by accident. Sunburned Hand of
the Man, Polyphonic Spree -- they're all goddamn cults. And Cerberus Shoal is no
exception. If you like to follow Wire magazine, you'd find yourself
calling this "New Weird America," but the truth is, Cerberus Shoal are simply
from Portland, Maine; not too weird after all.
Certainly a regional fascination, Cerberus Shoal waves the free-folk flag high
in the name of thirteen-minute songs, esoteric percussion instruments (the
cornerstone of hippie-dom), and a unique take on the extended jam. With the
release of their seventh full-length, Bastion of Itchy Preeves, Cerberus
Shoal try to place themselves at the forefront of the scene with mixed results.
There are some great moments here. Abandoning the rambling, ramshackle groove
that starts "Bogart The Change," the band shifts gears after three minutes to
revert to a steady groove with nice melodica sounds, chant-like singing, and
grandiose choral-backing vocals that brings to mind Polyphonic Spree when they
are actually enjoyable. On the similarly lengthy "Tekel Upharsin," the band is
given space to gather ideas and take chances, such as the inclusion of a banjo
coupled with a tin-pan alley shuffle from hell.
But unlike the similarly inclined Sunburned Hand of the Man or No Neck Blues
Band, Cerberus Shoal seem to use their albums as a giant canvas for all of their
ideas, never quite molding them into specific strengths. Whereas Sunburned Hand
of the Man know that they can find a steady groove and ride it when they see
fit, Cerberus Shoal seem uninterested in finding a particular sound to focus on.
Unfortunately, this works against them.
Wile free-folk may demand that all rules are thrown out the window, Bastion
of Itchy Preeves only occasionally showcases moments of greatness.
1. Grandsire
2. A Cloud No Bigger than a Man's Head
3. Bogart the Change
4. Shaky Bull
5. Baby Gal
6. Train Car Nursery
7. Tekel Upharsin
8. Nonex
9. Marimus
10. A Head No Bigger than a Man's Cloud
 The
Life & Times of Cerberus Shoal and the Magic Carpathians (split)
North East Indie, 2004
rating: 4/5
reviewer: leveer
I enjoy "drone" more than the average bear, and generally in all of its flavors.
The same goes for Brian Eno's ambient explorations and Merzbow's grinding
assaults. This style of music explores aspects that others take for granted,
such as the listener's role in shaping the experience. While more conventional
artists are forced to rely on complexity and density to make a work compelling
enough to listen to multiple times, a listener can find new layers in this breed
of music merely by altering their level of attentiveness. It adds a whole new
dimension to music when an artist can artfully manipulate this process.
Cerberus Shoal and The Magic Carpathians have done that on this record, The
Life & Times of Cerberus Shoal and the Magic Carpathians. The surprising
thing is the way they make you neglect such an interesting panorama of sound.
While usually you can expect a one-dimensional approach on any given track of
drone, the songs here regularly shift and swell in seeming response to your
waning attention. Just as you slip into glassy-eyed disinterest, the music
reminds the more aware listener that more interesting segments may be due. But,
these reminders are subtle enough that your attention isn't necessarily demanded
or seized; it gently enables that great feeling when you discover new strata of
sound in a favorite song.
According to this phenomenon in the songs, the album as a whole takes on a
similar structure. It opens with the slightly obnoxious "Pre-Face," which tells
the tale of this recording's evolution from a post-performance swapping of
e-mails to the swapping and manipulation of tracks between these two tribes. The
next song, "Respoonsed," is the epitome of desolation, recalling George Crumb
and allowing your mind to drift from constant awareness. "Continuumed" follows,
housing a chestnut of vibrancy which takes hold of your sonic gaze. The culprit
is a decidedly medieval and arcane meander, with the LP's only vocals
alternating between a chant and quirky utterances, with spoken parts interloping
at times. The final track, J.B.E.G.S., sounds like a midnight ritual held in a
clearing in the wilderness, which is more captivating than the track that leads
into the centerpiece, but they are definitely a pair.
Cerberus Shoal and the Magic Carpathians present us with an album that teeters
between the two worlds of active and passive, which is unfortunately uncommon.
One might say it's not as "challenging" as it could be, but it did more to
facilitate contemplation of the nature of music and listening than a lot that's
out there. It makes for an interesting listen and would make a good introduction
for the uninitiated.
1. Pre-Face
2. Respoonsed
3. Continuumed
4. J.B.E.G.S.
 Chaiming
the Knoblessone
North East Indie, 2003
rating: 3.5/5
reviewer: amneziak
Pigeonholing a band like Cerberus Shoal is like running with one leg. The
unfortunate thing about this is that the leg you’re trying to run on also has a
broken ankle. That broken ankle is attached to a foot that only has two toes,
and even they have horrible blisters all over them. The bottom line here is that
there’s no easy way to describe the sounds and imagery of what you’ll ingest
when you dig in to a Cerberus Shoal album. My experience with this album, and a
few of the band’s previous albums, tells me that this goes for pretty much every
album this Portland (Maine) ensemble has ever released.
Chaiming the Knoblessone is no different from the others, except for the
fact that it’s even more experimental. It only took about three minutes in to
“Apatrides” to become aware of the fact that I was in for a strenuous assignment
trying to write an accurate review of the entire album. The scary thing is that
I was only three minutes into the album when I came to this conclusion.
All that aside, there are some truly fantastic moments in this overly-dense
experimental album. Most of Chaiming the Knoblessone is layered with
hundreds of sporadic sounds that make it hard to focus on any particular
moment. However, a song like “Sole of Foot of Man” is thirteen minutes of
relaxing improvisation that contains pockets of sheer beauty and spaciousness.
The suitably titled “A Paranoid Home Companion” is a dark sounding mish-mash of
THX1138-like robotic voices, rhythmic drones, and discordant electronics.
I guarantee you haven’t heard a song this bizarre before.
In addition to the instrumentation, there are at least ten different voices that
create the illusion that there is something more to a Cerberus Shoal experience
than just the music. I imagine there is some type of visual performance that
goes along with this music, as it’s one of the most visually demanding albums
I’ve heard in quite some time. If you’re into music that is experimental,
Cerberus Shoal is a band you must hear. My hunch is that they will soon lead the
new genre of musicians in this “psych-rock/folk” genre in the next couple of
years. I hope you’re ears are more prepared than mine are.
1. Apatrides
2. Mrs. Shakespear Torso
3. Sole of Foot of Man
4. A Paranoid Home Companion
5. Ouch: Sinti, Roma, Zigeuner, The Names of Gypsy
6. Story # 12 from the Invisible Mountain Archives
7. Scaly Beast vs. Toy Piano
 The
Ducks and Drakes of Cerberus Shoal
(split with Guapo)
North East Indie, 2003
rating: 2/5
reviewer: jeffrey
Quickly, name as many post-rock bands as you can off the top of your head. I’ll
give you a minute.
Done? Lets see how you faired.
15-20 = Excellent. You either work for Thrill Jockey or your name is David Pajo.
10-15 = Good. You own a lot of post-rock albums that no one has ever heard of.
5-10 = Average. You’ve purchased Spiderland and Millions Now Living Will Never
Die
0-5 = Poor. You don’t listen to ANYTHING past 1979
So then, which ones did you forget out of this mini list?
The Rachel’s, Tortoise, Karate, Cul De Sac, Gastr Del So, Rodan, June of 44, Ui,
Pluramon, Mogwai, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, HiM, Trans Am, Fly Pan Am, The
Sea and Cake, Cogs, Papa M, The For Carnation, The Dirty Three, 5ive Style, Do
Make Say Think, Aerial M, Bardo Pond, Dianogah, Seam, Flying Saucer Attack, Set
Fire to Flames, Au Revoir Borealis, A Silver Mt. Zion, Larval, Unwed Sailor,
Pell Mell, Laika, FCS North, Labradford, Jessamine, Plaid.
Those previous bands are branded post rock often (and unfairly at times) and are
getting the ass end of the deal as post rock really has its roots in sonic
bending innovators like Fred van Hove, Rhys Chatham, The Mahavishnu Orchestra,
Phillip Glass, Tony Parker, Steve Reich, Can and a host of other Kraut rockers,
Glenn Braca, Iannis Xenakis, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, and John Zorn who then
lead the way up to the immediate and more obvious post-rock precursors such as
Bark Psychosis, Slint, Stereolab and Talk Talk.
The genre wasn’t official until the mid 90s with Millions and has now
blossomed into so many cross-pollinated forms that outfits like Cerberus Shoal
and Guapo are now considered post-rock when they really sound nothing like
Spiderland.
In the third installment of the collaborative split series by Cerberus Shoal and
North East Indie Records, the group teams up with Guapo, who starts the endeavor
with “Idios Kosmos.” Cerberus Shoal follows with “a man who loved holes...” with
the last track being a team effort. Even though each song has different players,
the entire album is mainly droning looped snyth/piano/organs, oddball sound
effects, feedback guitars, whacked and warped vocal clips, scarce percussion,
and an overall haunting vibe. Everything about it screams post, but nothing
rock.
I hear that Cerberus Shoal has a new album coming out soon. Hopefully that will
be a bit more digestible, as this is downright impossible.
1. Idios Kosmos
2. A man who loved holes...
3. Kdios Iosmos, He Two Loved Holes
 Crash
My Moon Yacht
North East Indie, 2000
rating: 4/5
reviewer: carmen for orchestra
In my childhood my family would take me on trips to Maine. We would camp out, go
fishing; basically absorb the earth before we had to go back to New York City.
My favorite moments of the trips and the only moments that I now remember with
clarity were when my Uncle Ricky would sit us around the campfire and tell us
ghost stories. "There was a night," he would gasp, "when nothing went right."
"There was a night when all that was right died." The fact that Uncle Ricky had
emphysema made these stories even scarier. "The night I'm talking about," he
wisped, "the skeletons took over the ships." At this point in the story I can
almost guarantee that one of my five siblings had already wet their pants in
ear. "The skeletons drove these ships into the jagged Maine coast taking revenge
on the kind sailors of Maine. Even to this day you can still hear their cries
wailing off the coast of Maine."
Of course this is a somewhat abridged version of the story, but you can now
understand the spookiness quality that Maine holds for me. So I pick up the
latest album from Cerberus Shoal, a band that hails from Maine, and what do I
see staring at me? It's like my late Uncle Ricky has gone into graphic arts, as
pictures of skeletons and old ships combat for space on the CD cover. I return
to my house and climb under the covers and hope the skeletons won't come for me.
The sound of a toy piano and a horn that seems to be unsure of itself usher in
Cerberus Shoal's latest album, Crash My Moon Yacht. The album, which was
recorded at the same time as Homb initially makes you wonder if you might
be lost in a children's nursery. This is obviously not the same Cerberus Shoal
who released their brilliant, post-hardcore, self-titled album in 1995 and it's
not even the same Cerberus Shoal who released the somber, spacey, And
Farewell to Hightide in 1996. The reason for Cerberus Shoal's departure from
their previous sounds comes from their ever-changing lineup. Homb, Crash My
Moon Yacht, and the soon to be released Mr. Boy Dog were all recorded
when the group fused with Tarpigh, a Portland, Maine band that brought along its
eastern music influences.
The thought that you might be listing to some children create racket quickly
resolves when track two, "Breathing Machines," arrives. At first, the bass drum
pounds with your heart, recalling the beginning of their previous album, Homb,
but soon distorted bass and wah guitar kicks out one of Cerberus Shoal's most
dynamic pieces ever. The songs following "Breathing Machines" mix eastern
musical styles with instrumental avant rock until the final two tracks. What a
surprise, and a pleasant one at that, when there are vocals on "Yes Sir, No Sir"
and "Asphodel". The vocals add a new vibrant quality to the music. On "Yes Sir,
No Sir", the vocals add a pop sensibility that I never would've expected
Cerberus Shoal to exhibit.
The unfortunate comparison to Godspeed You Black Emperor! is one that has
hounded Cerberus Shoal. Crash My Moon Yacht exhibits such originality
that many of those comparisons should fall to the wayside. The textures that
Cerberus Shoal creates in their music are much more complex and far reaching
then much of G.Y.B.E.! material. Now with the addition of vocals for the first
time since And Farewell to Hightide, Cerberus Shoal add another dimension
to their repertoire.
Once again, Cerberus Shoal has made a magnificent album that too many people
will pass over. Is it because they are from Maine? Is it because they
continually redefine their sound? Whatever the reason is, do yourself a favor
and try something new: give this original, ever-changing band a chance.
1. Changabang I
2. Breathing Machines
3. Elle Besh
4. Changabang II
5. Long Winded
6. Changabang III
7. Yes Sir, No Sir
8. Asphodel
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