Rating: 2 Pulses
Hands Down Eugene is an oddity of a band. Comprised of members from a few other local bands-Ole Mossy Face, Ghostfinger and The Carter Administration among them?they may be classified as a large side project. With anywhere from seven to God knows how many musicians performing at a live show, it’s difficult to nail down who the constant members of Hands Down Eugene actually are. One of them is certainly Ole Mossy Face’s bassist Matt Moody, who provides the lead vocals for Hands Down Eugene, making him the front man of this train wreck. There are 26 musicians listed for the 13-track “Madison,” and this spoiled soup might be chalked up to too many chefs in the kitchen.
The album begins with a female voice stating, “These are events in a dream,” which is followed by a 12-second Pink Floyd-style intro, leading into a slow, spacey, late ’60s/early ’70s Beatles-style melody. That is to say, this is some heavy psychedelic pop we are dealing with here. “Denise,” the album’s opener, sets the mood nicely for the rest of the album. The music is overall quite melancholy, peppered with some catchy jingles here and there.
The opening line to “Calloused Part” is one of the more disturbing, yet highly intriguing lines in recent memory. “The softness of your most calloused part/was handled with kindness, showered with your moist tenderness.”
“Full Blast” is the record’s standout track. The mellow guitars and inspiring melody will probably put a smile on your face, but the song finishes with one of the long, drawn out instrumental outros that prevail throughout the album.
I should go ahead and let you know, I don’t do drugs anymore, haven’t in a few years. So I don’t listen with glassy-eyed amusement to psychedelic music like I once did. Maybe I just don’t GET the music of Hands Down Eugene, but the songs start to feel a bit jumbled about seven tracks in. Even the members of the band seem to lose interest late in the album, as the uninspired “Oh yeah”’s from “Seeing” will attest. Even the song titled “Built for Speed” will lull you to sleep.
In the end, “Madison” doesn’t quite get the job done. The band’s strong points?great guitars and good vocal delivery?are at times lost in the haze.
