Source (purchased/given/borrowed/the wife's): purchased
Date Acquired: mid-late 2001(?)
Original Review: n/a
Thoughts/Memories/ Remembrances: I first heard "Vibe Out!", the second track on this ep from the long-defunct no-wave band on the now defunct but nevertheless classic CBC Radio late-night program Brave New Waves. This was during the time that I was insane about catching the show, staying up listening from until 2am and then pressing record for an extra 45 - 50 minutes of the 4-hour broadcast to listen through the next morning. Since I did this nightly, I'd take catchy tunes from the previous night's broadcast and transfer them to a separate mix tape, one of which was "Vibe Out!" With it's early digital Speak'n'Spell introduction stating "Vibe Out!" (naturally) launching into a faltering bass line and tinny guitar strumming which then made way for Bridget Cross's soft, self-accompanying layered vocals alternating between droning drums, bass and guitar until the three and a half minute mark where the trio just Vibe Out and jam for another five minutes, no vox, just some sweet, unaggressive bass, guitar and drums action. It would be half a decade before I'd actually buy any of Unrest's recorded material... lucky for me, the first thing I would acquire was this ep which included that song which accompanied me, hands pounding on the steering week in rhythm, on many an evening car ride back home. I always liked this album, four tracks, the final, Hydro, a 33 minute jam session, but Vibe Out! still remains my first and favourite Unrest song
Re-Review: It's only now, with the miracle that is Wikipedia, that I come to understand the unusual format of the "Cath Carroll ep". "Developing from an experimental approach of never playing the same song twice," Wikipedia goes on to say that Unrest create "finely crafted pop songs interspersed with strange avant-garde percussive and sonic tracks." The "Cath Carroll ep" starts with one of those finely crafted pop songs, the titular track, and after it's completed it's 3:20 run, an ensemble of organized chimes and clashes along with that ever-pulsating bass and looped percussives pipe up and for the 10cc Mix for another four minutes. "Vibe Out!", in all its glory, follows up, which leads back into another pop slice called "goodbye". "goodbye" has a "Lush"-like sweetness to it, full of jangly britpop-like charm from the Washington D.C. trio, with a moderate tempo occasionally pushing towards tambourine-driven upbeats before reigning itself back in. The crowning glory is, as stated before, the 33:23 "Hydro" which is a straight-up bass, guitar, drums jam, the miracle of which is once it's over, I'm sad to see it gone. "Hydro" after the first minute or two no longer presents what I like to call "active listening" but it's steady-driving, occasionally switched-up, always rockin'. This is the kind of song I like to have on in the background when I'm working, writing, or just doing stuff that requires a bit of concentration. It keeps those rhythmic pleasure centers active but doesn't shock your brain into paying attention to it for over half an hour. If I were making music, every damn track I'd do would be like this, just going for it, nodding your head, tapping your feet and playing off your peers to create something that may not be Beethoven, but is intriguing solely for its freedom from confined premeditation. I can listen to "Hydro" over and over again and not get bored, and it's comfortingly familiar, even if it doesn't really stick in the brain afterwards (and if Unrest is never "playing the same song twice" the jam method is one way to ensure that. Conceptually stimulating and passively engaging.
Rating (keep/sell/undecided): keep for sure and find more Unrest eps when BNY is over. I forgot how much I liked them.
Date Acquired: mid-late 2001(?)
Original Review: n/a
Thoughts/Memories/ Remembrances: I first heard "Vibe Out!", the second track on this ep from the long-defunct no-wave band on the now defunct but nevertheless classic CBC Radio late-night program Brave New Waves. This was during the time that I was insane about catching the show, staying up listening from until 2am and then pressing record for an extra 45 - 50 minutes of the 4-hour broadcast to listen through the next morning. Since I did this nightly, I'd take catchy tunes from the previous night's broadcast and transfer them to a separate mix tape, one of which was "Vibe Out!" With it's early digital Speak'n'Spell introduction stating "Vibe Out!" (naturally) launching into a faltering bass line and tinny guitar strumming which then made way for Bridget Cross's soft, self-accompanying layered vocals alternating between droning drums, bass and guitar until the three and a half minute mark where the trio just Vibe Out and jam for another five minutes, no vox, just some sweet, unaggressive bass, guitar and drums action. It would be half a decade before I'd actually buy any of Unrest's recorded material... lucky for me, the first thing I would acquire was this ep which included that song which accompanied me, hands pounding on the steering week in rhythm, on many an evening car ride back home. I always liked this album, four tracks, the final, Hydro, a 33 minute jam session, but Vibe Out! still remains my first and favourite Unrest songRe-Review: It's only now, with the miracle that is Wikipedia, that I come to understand the unusual format of the "Cath Carroll ep". "Developing from an experimental approach of never playing the same song twice," Wikipedia goes on to say that Unrest create "finely crafted pop songs interspersed with strange avant-garde percussive and sonic tracks." The "Cath Carroll ep" starts with one of those finely crafted pop songs, the titular track, and after it's completed it's 3:20 run, an ensemble of organized chimes and clashes along with that ever-pulsating bass and looped percussives pipe up and for the 10cc Mix for another four minutes. "Vibe Out!", in all its glory, follows up, which leads back into another pop slice called "goodbye". "goodbye" has a "Lush"-like sweetness to it, full of jangly britpop-like charm from the Washington D.C. trio, with a moderate tempo occasionally pushing towards tambourine-driven upbeats before reigning itself back in. The crowning glory is, as stated before, the 33:23 "Hydro" which is a straight-up bass, guitar, drums jam, the miracle of which is once it's over, I'm sad to see it gone. "Hydro" after the first minute or two no longer presents what I like to call "active listening" but it's steady-driving, occasionally switched-up, always rockin'. This is the kind of song I like to have on in the background when I'm working, writing, or just doing stuff that requires a bit of concentration. It keeps those rhythmic pleasure centers active but doesn't shock your brain into paying attention to it for over half an hour. If I were making music, every damn track I'd do would be like this, just going for it, nodding your head, tapping your feet and playing off your peers to create something that may not be Beethoven, but is intriguing solely for its freedom from confined premeditation. I can listen to "Hydro" over and over again and not get bored, and it's comfortingly familiar, even if it doesn't really stick in the brain afterwards (and if Unrest is never "playing the same song twice" the jam method is one way to ensure that. Conceptually stimulating and passively engaging.
Rating (keep/sell/undecided): keep for sure and find more Unrest eps when BNY is over. I forgot how much I liked them.