[.ca] Untying the Not

Not up to snuff:
Having seen SCI live many times and owning most of their albums I must say I am very disapointed in this effort. I've tried going back and listening to it after taking breaks of several days and even weeks and it still comes out BORING. They seem to have lost that creative streak and are trying to play maybe something that someone in LA thinks will be more commercialy appealing? I really can't tell other than it dosen't do any thing for me. I went back and listened to "Born on the Wrong Planet" and was struck by how much fun it was and how creative. I think maybe the guys are taking themselves a little to seriously. They should head back to the mountains and chill a little. Don't waste you money, go buy the new LOS instead.

Great Cheese:
I'm not particularly concerned with whether this album is better or worse than SCI's other studio releases. It certainly isn't like a live show. What I find especially strong here are the lyrics. They're meaningful - existential, spiritual, and often motivational. The music itself moves from straightforward beats to wild techno stuff that I haven't heard the band do before. The first few times I listened I thought some songs were more interesting than others. Now the ones I thought were so-so are the ones that mean the most to me. The music strongly supports the themes of the songs - took a while for me to get it. In one song, a young lady sensually suggests three inspirational activities "...breathing, dancing ...creative ecstasy." I think this sums up the overall feel of the central parts the album, which are like a kaleidoscope of individual tunes that flow into one another. This has turned into an album I can listen to straight through without hitting the skip button. Even if it isn't perfect on all counts, it's 4 1/2 stars to me, and I'll round it up to 5 because I like the overall concept. Untying the Not definitely has its own kind of beauty, because it makes a strong statement about living and enjoying life while we're here.

Cheesy:
There are a few decent moments on this album, but most of the songs are pretty poorly conceived and developed. I mean, bluegrass mixed with stale house beats?!? The Cheese deserve better. On a positive note, I saw the Cheese recently and they sounded nothing like this album.

Cheese Needs Change....:
I have been a long listener of String Cheese. I remember hearing my brother's fuzzy bootlegs from String Cheese shows when I was about 15. I am now almost 21 and I believe that Cheese does need a new sound but not necessarily for good. I have attended many a Cheese shows and I always have a good time. Yet many fans seem to have drifted away from the Cheese sound and have once again rejoined the Phish and Widespread Panic bandwagon. When I heard this album I to found myself asking "who is this?" Though at first I was shocked I began to settle into the sound of the album. The second song "Sirens" begins with a hard and raw Galactic sound but kicks into the usual playful up-beat Cheese sound. Song #4 "Orion's Belt" contains a Pink Floydish Dark Side of the Moon saxophone solo with a somewhat emotional kick. Though some of the songs inbetween drift into the ambient side you just have to stick with it to seek out the good stuff. Every CD has "those songs" which you always skip but isn't that what makes the good songs that much better? Song #7 "Elijah" gives you chills with it's beautiful string and piano collaberation. Though this may not be the normal Cheese CD I give them a lot of credit for going out on a limb. It seems that more groups need to take the same leap. Just because you take a risk doesn't mean your fans will desert you. If they did, they wouldn't be very true fans now would they? I hear Cheese is now touring extensivly in Europe. Who knows what interesting ideas they could be combobulating over there. Lastly, doesn't new sound bring new set list and more exciting and unpredictable shows? Cheese can't stay in their Telluride bluegrass jam band mold forever. New days bring new ideas and new ideas bring new music. Have faith in the Cheese!

Brave Departure:
Look... SCI gets a LOT of criticism for ALL of their studio albums... "not original enough, not slick enough"... I happen to disagree with this standard verdict, but *here* we have the *most* experimental, well produced and over-all stylized effort by this remarkable band to date! YES there are traces of Pink Floyd and Phish and maybe even the Beatles... but this is not a BAD thing.... heck, Lenny Kravitz has made an entire career over such nods!! All the material here is interesting and inovative, and it is the most complete departure for thier "usual stuff." I was SO suprised by this disc! It was nothing like I expected, and took me about 5 listenings to view it properly.... but it was WELL worth the effort!! In this, it is a bold and risky effort, and for this I salute the band! I do not love all the tracks, but I at least LIKE most, and I look forward to hearing them jam on them live in future incidents! Hopefully, Omaha will be included in a future tour cycle! Thanks, guys! You are sooooooooo awesome!

• Wake Up
• Sirens
• Looking Glass
• Orion's Belt \oInstrumental\c
• Mountain Girl \oInstrumental\c
• Lonesome Road Blues \oInstrumental\c
• Elijah \oInstrumental\c
• Valley of the Jig
• Tinder Box
• Just Passing Through
• Who Am I?
• Time Alive
• On My Way