eggstone 'somersault'

 

yes, i know i'm supposed to review only the latest stuff. and i know, i'm supposed to grab exclusively from the "new" section in front of the counter at tom's tracks. but in this instance, i can't resist going way back in time to 1994 to review what is, quite simply, a really good album.

really good, of course, depending on whether or not you like early blur, late pixies, and really clean production. even though eggstone is made up of just three people, the band certainly knows how to use a multi-track studio. (a little linguistic quirk of mine is to adamantly refuse to believe that the word "band" is a plural noun; in the same vein, i like to think that the word "data" is also singular.)

at any one time on 'somersault', at least five instruments are going. this certainly isn't a complaint; eggstone sounds wonderful. they provide lush textures, fascinating little riffs, and great melodies. their chord progressions are, for the most part, extremely interesting and complicated, and no song has fewer than three distinct sections.

their songs span the spectrum from fairly hard-rocking ('luck,' 'the dog') to dreamily catchy ('good morning,' 'desdemona') to pretty silly ('water'). and although there is, in my humble opinion, a definite dud song on the album, 'hang on to your eco,' most of the others are exceptional. the songs are singable, interesting, and fun.

my only real complaint is that the album is short; just 35 minutes for eleven songs. in fact, just writing this review took me all the way to track seven. but the fact of the matter is that eggstone is
definitely worth plunking down some bucks for -- i've given my copy more than its fair share of time in the cd changer.

if you liked blur's 'modern life is rubbish' or the pixies' 'bossanova', i suggest you order a copy of 'somersault' immediately. i say "order" because, unfortunately, i haven't seen any copies anywhere on thayer.

 

 

rob fellman
the college hill independent, november 16, 1995