Capitol K - Sounds Of The Empire

Clattering, chaotic music from Capitol K on his album SOUNDS OF THE EMPIRE. From the dense and winding “Song for Banana” to the weird folk-jazz of “Janome Home” or “Lagoon,” there’s no lack of ideas here. “Doe (My Pooter Sings)” takes a more melodic tack, and “People,” with its background of church bells, gives way to a symphony of feedback and percussion. And given the twinkling prettiness of “Song for Belgium,” one can only assume that the Belgians treated them well. The title track takes a sample of a Chinese melody and pours on the distortion and drums before going didgeridoo on it. The final track, “Cosmonaut,” seems to embody the schizophrenia inherent to the album: a guitar riff backed by beats, then devolving into squeals of noise. Though you have to love Capitol K’s kitchen sink approach, it still remains an uneven way of doing things.