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Ransom Scenery - Ear to Ear

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Ransom Scenery is a duo comprised of Chaepter Negro (piano, vocals, mandolin and cello) and Drew Lowery (drums and percussion). The Springfield, Illinois act's album is appropriately titled Ear to Ear because listening to these songs is truly a stereophonic experience.

It's also a psychedelic experience because the vocals, such as the ones heard on "Just Tour," are altered and affected to give the listener a dizzying, disorienting listening experience. These are not so much songs as they are song-scapes. There is an element of avant garde composition infusing many of these tracks, even though standard rock & roll instrumentation is also many times utilized. One can distinctly hear the influence of 80s gloom rock icons, such as The Cure - particularly during the guitar drone that is "Unconditional." A sort of dice and slice approach to dance music, so prevalent in the 80s, can also be picked up during "Holozoic."

As Talking Heads once famously sang, "This ain't no party, this ain't no disco." It is, however, enjoyably twisted pop-rock.

Ransom Scenery - Ear to Ear
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