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REVIEWS
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IMPROVIJAZZATION
NATION #65
Dan Susnara/Dan Sweigert/Dan Van Schindel/Frank Rutledge - 9 ON
BALI: Long-time underground fans will recognize those names right
away, in particular, our pal Dan Susnara. This debut CD is superbly
crafted rock&folk that features excellent tunes... the only drawback
is that there are only 4 cuts on the CD. We surely hope they will
kick us th' extended version when it's ready. Nevertheless, there
are some really rockin' stretches on here that made perfect riding
companions... the only caution would be that since Susnara tends
towards such psych-oriented tunes, you'll wanna' be careful not
to let your mind “drift” too much... his tunes have a
tendency to “un-focus” your head & stir up memories that
take your attention back to sweeter & better times. Some really
nice harmonizing on “At His Cordial Best” (my favorite
track on the album). These guys have been reviewed in our pages
before, but it must've been in one of th' “lost” issues...
I'm quite sure it was from th' “tape days”. Cut 3, “Who
is Tripoli Adams”, had to be influenced by some kind o' “orchestral
shroom” substance, methinkz. 9 ON BALI is a nice sampling,
but we really want to hear th' full album... this gets a MOST HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED from our ears, especially for listeners who "like a
lil' psych"! —Rotcod Zzaj
ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER, May 2004
On their 'Triad' EP, 9 ON BALI craft keyboard-and-acoustic-oriented
folk that delivers a few surprises. Case in point, “At His
Cordial Best” hosts a brief cameo from an electric guitar.
The outfit seem more interested in finding out what kind of eclectic
noise they can make than they do with making melodies, but the end
result is at least interesting, with “Who Is Tripoli Adams”
being the record's most experimental moment. 9 ON BALI never come
close to the tradtitional song structure, but at least they won't
ever have to wonder 'What if?' —Jaime de'Medici
SPLENDID, December
10, 2003
Our copy of this four-song CD-R EP included a price tag; apparently
the members of 9 ON BALI are flogging their newest work for $3.00
a pop. That comes out to a thrifty 75 cents per song -- cheaper,
even, than Apple's much-ballyhooed iTunes Store. But is it actually
a good deal?
• “Triad” is basically straightforward pop, but with
a weird (in a good way) edge. One of the vocalists (there are two)
does basic pop vocals in standard “untutored singer” style,
verging on falsetto, while the other affects a highbrow drawl reminiscent
of British folk-pop and the floatier Elephant 6 acts. “At His
Cordial Best” makes best use of the latter vocalist; it's a
catchy tune that begins life as threadbare pop, then rapidly evolves
into a sort of lo-fi High Llamas track. Beach Boys fans will dig
it.
• “Who is Tripoli Adams” is an abrupt shift in tone
and style -- a formless, keyboard-intensive ramble that leads off
with a busily burbling electronic loop, then segues into a droning
keyboard-and-snare-roll fanfare. You may want to skip ahead to “Everdons”,
which builds on “At His Cordial Best”'s orch-pop aspirations,
hints at a proggy edge, blows its wad on a sudden space-rock breakdown
at mid-song, and wraps it all up in sampled bell melodies and like-minded
weirdness.
• In our final reckoning, we decided that “Triad”
and “Who is Tripoli Adams?” are worth about fifty cents
each -- “Triad” is hurt by its iffy vocals, “Tripoli
Adams” by its aimlessness -- while “At His Cordial Best”
is worth a buck and “Everdons” merits a full buck-fifty
for that space-rock surprise. In other words, as long as you don't
have to drive very far or make a lot of phone calls to find your
copy of the 'Triad' EP, you'll be a little bit ahead of the game.
—George Zahora
NO PIGEONHOLES FAVORITES
2003
Eccentric
home rock collab with sure fire and steady production. Very nice
work. —Don Campau
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