In this, their eleventh release, Cerberus Shoal attempt to cast a spell with chants, cackles, smashes, and sneers of voice, banjo, bass, accordion, trumpet, percussion, and manipulation of these sounds. I picture it being performed on a tattered stage at a carnival in a ghost town that suddenly came alive.
This labyrinth haunts you with poetic, political, and sarcastic jots (in English and Gibberish) in its six tracks; "The Land We All Believe In", "Wyrm", "Pie for the President", "The Ghosts are Greedy", "Junior", and "Taking Out the Enemy".
The experience only completely makes sense in the corner of the secret garden hidden in the left hemisphere of your mind, underneath the shady tree. The band functions as an equilibrium that stews a swirl of imagery and chaos, supported by hazy melodic lines reaching into a goth-folk atmosphere.
Like Godspeed You Black Emperor, Cerberus Shoal have created an album of few track numbers but plenty of content. With its eerie nature, the dog got upset and launched into a barking fit the moment I pushed play. This brings me to a question though – does the band ever play their instruments conventionally?
From their latest releases, "Bastion of Itchy Preeves" and "Chaiming the Knobblesome," Cerberus Shoal find themselves in a "Land We All Believe In," but when they aren't there, they call Portland, Maine home. Currently touring with Sun City Girls, Cerberus Shoal's jam band nature has entertained stages in many ways; their brand of fusion goes beyond what we would think of as underground. Cerberus Shoal has exceeded my expectations of the word odd. I cannot come up with a better word to describe it... maybe confusing, but a success nonetheless!
