Genkin Philharmonic is truly weird. It is very, very hard to move past that point when trying to describe the brainchild of UB music professor Jon Nelson.
Words like "technique" and "avant-garde" keep rattling around in listeners' minds, only to be continually brushed aside by the fact that Genkin Philharmonic is card-carryingly strange; a rusty recording of mad, symphony-orchestra-from-Hell wanderings.
The debut collection of the band's music, Genkin Philharmonic kicks off with a relatively tame offering, "The King is Dead."
It's a trippy, David-Byrne-meets-Cake ode to Elvis Presley that is equal parts conspiracy-theory ranting and Lord of the Rings-esque raving. The song bounces along acid-jazz-rock solos and through thunderous drumming while the ambient noise of a chatty crowd edges around the cacophony. Things only get stranger from here.
The self-titled album is a collection of live recordings from various shows the band has played over the last several years. As a result, the sound quality changes from song to song, ranging from professional mastering to mini-disc recordings from the back of concert halls. The scratchier tracks on the album have an antiquated feel that makes them seem that much more alive.
Listening to the album all the way through is disorienting - a little like the end of a jittery drug experience. Sounds come from nowhere, genres are exchanged at the drop of a hat for others and insanity generally reigns.
Frank Zappa gives way to a wild didgeridoo solo, aptly titled "Solo," followed by an eerie, depressing classical rendition of Radiohead's "Morning Bell." This is all performed with breakneck intensity by a full orchestra. It's a bizarre listening experience, to be sure.
It's hard to pass judgment on the band. To gain a mental foothold from which to observe the project as a whole is very difficult, and in any case, the music is avant-garde, so presumably any negative reviews are simply the sign of a weaker intellect.
It seems safe to say that while Genkin Philharmonic is interesting to listen to once or twice for its sheer audacity, it probably won't be making anyone's "most listened to" lists for a while.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
