American Steamboat
An eclectic mix.
One of HJR's most eclectic if below par albums runs the full gamat of styles from New Age of “Along the Coast” to electro-jazz “Forger Forger”, from surreal cartoon themes like “Par Excellence” to swinging electro tango “Version Paris”. On their own, none of the tracks is particularly memorable and the digital production has a somewhat dated 90s feel. Yet the sequencing at editing stage (in the manner of McCartney's famous Abbey Road medely) saves the day here by subtly upping the tempo and weirdness quotient as the album progresses so that what at first seems superficially cheerful and melodic by degrees turns slowly darker and more surreal.
