Rhythm and News Magazine
July 1999
Pick of the Month
**** (out of 5)
Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams
" A Good Thief Tips His Hat "
Slambovian Records
By RENO BO
If CDs came with instruction booklets, this one's should read: Set 56 minutes aside, put on yer headphones and enter the world of Sleepy Hollow, NY's Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams.
The basis for this record is well-crafted, hook-laden, pop songwriting. Absent is the formulaic studio sheen associated with mainstream rock acts today.
The songs on "A Good Thief" capture the organic, genuine quality of its makers. On many tracks, song-writer Joziah Longo gives you a taste of some Slambovian philosophy. "Silent Revolution" alludes to an otherworldly rendezvous where Gandalf rubs elbows with "John, Kurt, and Jimi," hoping to bring some of the conversation to the rest of us back home.
On the CD's opening track, they warn that "genius always rides on a rollercoaster / it'll toast ya / weenie roast ya." Other tracks like "My Girl" and "Never Fit" are simple, introspective probes most of us can relate to.
"A Good Thief..." is an eery yet jovial sounding record, at times evoking the sparing acoustic aura heard on side one of Neil Young's "After the Goldrush."
Gandalf Murphy falls into the same category such versatile bands like the Doors or Jane's Addiction do. Their sound is highly developed and uniquely personal; a combination of collective chemistry and pop sensibility. There's a certain something you just can't describe but want to hear more of. Sonic embellishments are courtesy of accordionist Tink Lloyd, guitarist Sharkey McEwen and drummer Tony Zuzulo.
If this record were put into a time capsule and opened in 3056, the poor souls who find it will have a hard time linking it to a certain decade - or century for that matter. The record is sprinkled with just enough freak-outs and Beefheart-y sound effects to make each listen a scavenger hunt for sonic pleasures hiding the songs.
Like a 100-year-old folk tale, "A Good Thief..." will sound just as good with age and will most likely be as relevant. Forget Ichabod Crane. Gandalf Murphy is the new Legend of Sleepy Hollow. For more info, write to Slambovian Records, PO Box 950, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510, or hit their website at www.slambovia.com.
