It's not very often in any year nor music "scene" where you get a full on synthesis of good ol' fashioned country, darkly lyrical Appalachian folk and Yes-ish progressive rock... but then again, there's only one Bob Drake: accept no substitutes! A singer/songwriter of extraordinarily darksome talent and vision, he's cut quite the illustrious career for himself since the 1980's and beyond. He's produced Tina Turner, designed B-Movie horror soundscapes for low budget films, and was one of the two primary founding members of legendary avant-rockers Thinking Plague. It's a helluva resume, but merely the tip of the iceberg by the time we come to his 1994 debut. There's really nothing else out there like it, a sentiment even the almighty Pitchfork can agree with me on.

See, this is an independent release in every sense of the word. Major labels wouldn't touch it with a 50-foot pole, but it skirts a little too close to those "uncool" prog bands at times for the trendier indie labels to get behind it either. Drake's an ex-pat living in France, so I have no idea how he originally marketed this material, but I'm certain he had his difficulties.

Don't get me wrong though: this is a brilliant album, and one of the few times where the bizarre, normally inaccessible world of Rock In Opposition aestheticism compromised successfully with something resembling a normal pop/rock sensibility. It helps that there's a VERY high level of novelty value to be found too: if you've ever wanted to hear a Jon Anderson soundalike narrate and encapsulate the dread of your favorite Lovecraftian yarns, you'll get your wish on fun yet sinister songs such as 'Rainy' and 'The House', complete with twangy guitars and plenty of self-aware menace.

However, my favorite moments are when the album divorces itself of the Gothic Americana aesthetic that haunts it and makes deliberate shifts into more psychedelic territory, particularly on B-sides like the percussive 'Going Somewhere' and the spine-tingling 'Death Valley'. That moment near the end where Bob's layered vox intones 'the sun remembers a ritual' is about as disquietingly awesome as anything I've run across in other genres.


Of further note: besides production and singing, Drake handles most of the instrumental work here (including guitars, keyboards, violin, bass and drums). I'm always thoroughly impressed by anyone who can really run with a DIY approach to so-called solo material, but this is really in a class of its own. Makes one think we really can do it all ourselves if the stars are right and the material is up to snuff ya know?

As I mentioned earlier, this album is certainly not for everyone. Hell, I don't even think its for that many people in general. But at the same time, there's so much personality shining through these songs that you can't help but be impressed constantly and consistently. It's a strange, twisted and entertaining journey into truly progressive territory..and I can't recommend it enough to the adventurous among ye.