Something Grand

Madness, pure and complicated. This is a three disk box set of the non-album tracks from the unique 80’s Chicago group Shrimp Boat, which formed the nucleus for later groups such as the Sea and Cake and Falstaff. Their work ranges wildly over the three disks. Disk 1 is mostly noise experiments, banjo based alt country, and wailed vocals. Disk 2 tends more into free jazz and other sorts of freak outs. Disk 3 brings us into the more polished, jazzy light rock sound that the Sea and Cake would go on to explore. The end result of it all is the gradually developing voice of Sam Prekop layered over what sounds like Sonic Youth equipped with banjos and saxophones. Spotty, twisted, mediocre, and brilliant all in a package.

Disc 1
*1. Somewhat polyrhythmic; bass, banjo, odd percussion, slacker vocals
*2. Shuffle, awesome banjo work
3. Descending bass line, awful sax solo
*4. Softer, slower, maracas
5. Drum and classical guitar barrage, then sax moves us into knee slapping
6. Muttered banter, a cappella. territory.
*7. Shaky, guitar driven
*8. Whistle and banjo, mountain singer impersonation
9. Not as interesting, much like 7
10. Uptempo, a little wild
11. Slower, mawkish picking
12. Driving, yet gentler than most. 7 mins.
13. Low, slothful.
14. Lots of verve, sloppy guitar,
15. Shanting, spoken word collage.
**16. Jazzy intro, halting guitar, Iran Contra. Long, 12 mins.
17. Flat surf bassline, wailing.
Disc 2
*1. A sleighride that leads to a hoedown of moaning elves.
*2. Slow swing ballad, jazzy chords
3. Busier, wailed campfire chorus w/ guitar freakout
4. Serialist plinkings, organ, sound effects, followed by dark organ song
*5. Banjo shuffle, introduced briefly by radio announcer
6. Rather traditional free jazz
7. Structured jazz/rock, mid tempo
*8. Carter family cover, quite traditional
*9. Up tempo alt country - silly
10. Slow bass w/ cymbal tap, builds to wonderful screams
11. Halting number
12. Chill jazz instrumental
**13. Quintessential low key indie rock
14. Much like 13, but not as good.
15. More upbeat number, far more Sea and Cake-y
*16. Darker, bass drum thump, instrumental
17. Jaunty, tapping instrumental. Goofy sound effects.

Disc 3
*1. Upbeat, light jazz rock. Nice active guitar.
*2. Softer vocals, nice sax solo
*3. More free jazz exploration and extrapolation, Fiddler on the Roof
4. Darker free jazz
5. Polyrhythmic, nice repeated guitar line, up tempo.
**6. Strange overlayed vocals. Weird and excellent
**7. Distorted guitar! Very nice song, great lyrics
8. Tooting horn, nice vocals
9. Slower, plodding
*10. Soft, almost sweet
11. Distorted bugle impersonation, screeching sax
*12. Gershwin cover, remarkably traditional
13. A little throwback to the alt-country shuffle
14. Long slow jam, cacophonous end
*15. A tender, chill, catchy number
16. Instrumental, light
*17. Strong guitar and sax based song