Exposé Online banner

Ahleuchatistas — What You Will
(Cuneiform Rune 221, 2006, CD)

by Jon Davis, Published 2006-05-01

What You Will Cover artSomebody call the men in white suits – these guys are insane. On second thought, don’t call anyone – treatment may decrease their capacity to create such marvelously insane stuff as this. I reviewed two previous Ahleuchatistas releases last issue, and you can refer to that to see how much their brand of ridiculously complex post-punk art-freak lunatic rock appeals to me. Suffice to say this release is more of the same, only better. One thing that strikes me about it is the unusual construction of several of the pieces. In addition to the tightly coordinated style they’ve developed in the past, there’s an element I don’t remember. On the first track, “Remember Rumsfeld at Abu Ghraib”, the guitar plays a slow succession of notes, and at seemingly irregular intervals, the bass and drums interrupt with unrelated complicated rhythmic outbursts of increasing frequency, leading into a section where all three work together. Observation: while most rock music has some detectable relation to the blues, however remote, this has absolutely none, and no elements of European classical, jazz, folk, or anything else, for that matter. It’s like the monstrous offspring of generations of caffeine addicts who suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. They can’t stay with anything very long, even a consistent beat. A few seconds of sixteenth notes are followed by triplets at a different speed; a barrage of atonal stuttering succumbs to a lyrical bit with tinkling cymbals. For me, this is endlessly fascinating music, and I endorse it heartily.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 33, 2006 releases

Related artist(s): Ahleuchatistas

Latest news

2019-06-05
Legendary Co-Founder of The 13th Floor Elevators Passes Away at Age 71 – Sadly, Roky Erickson passed away on May 31, 2019. Known as the father of psychedelic music and co-founder of the ground breaking 13th Floor Elevators, Roky had a profound influence on music from the 60s to today. Plagued by his own personal demons, Roky had a difficult life and is now free of these burdens. » Read more

2019-04-24
Help MoonJune Bring Great Music to Life – Like many music lovers around the world, we’ve been thrilled and amazed to hear the recordings that have been released by MoonJune from sessions at La Casa Murada in Spain. Such label stalwarts as Mark Wingfield, Markus Reuter, Asaf Sirkis, Tony Levin, Dusan Jevtovic, Vasil Hadzimanov, and many more have gathered in various combinations at the studio to produce some of the most creative music in recent years. Now, label head Leonardo Pavkovic is offering a compilation, La Casa Murada - MoonJune Sessions, Volume One, as a fundraiser for upcoming sessions. » Read more

2019-04-10
The Pineapple Thief to Tour North America – November and December of 2019 will see The Pineapple Thief bringing their music to Canada, Mexico, and the US, and famed drummer Gavin Harrison will be on board. The band has been touring extensively in Europe, but North America will be new territory for them. » Read more

2019-03-25
Scott Walker RIP – Noel Scott Engel, better known as Scott Walker, was one of the most intriguing and enigmatic musical figures in the second half of the 20th Century. His strange career started with The Walker Brothers, an American pop group that featured no one named Walker and no brothers. After moving to England in 1965, they had a series of hit singles. Scott's solo work started with Scott in 1967. Starting in the 80s, his work took an increasingly avant-garde turn. » Read more

2019-03-20
Freedom to Spend Unearths June Chikuma's Archives – Jun (June) Chikuma is well known for her video game and anime soundtracks, but she also released an album of experimental electronic music back in 1986 called Divertimento where she indulged the kind of spontaneity that wouldn't work in a soundtrack. RVNG Int'l label Freedom to Spend is bringing this overlooked item to broader attention with a deluxe reissue. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Spirit - Son of Spirit / Farther Along & Future Games / Spirit of 84 – After Spirit’s first four classic albums, the band entered a period of fluctuating personnel, style, and success. The double-LP Spirit of ‘76 had marked the revitalization of the band around...  (2006) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

Miserable Faith says goodbye to Jack

More recommendations
Paul Sears - Angels & Demons That Play book

Print issues