Davenport's "last CDR release" would have worked even better as their first proper CD release, as its an almost ideal summary of all the great vibes and ideas they've been tossing around over dozens of tapes and CDRs the past couple years. The communal hooting and hollering, the riffs and string phrases fractured by so much clang and clatter, the eerie insect drones that flow out of the fits of forced calmness... if the band had simply compiled all the best moments from their present discography, it'd be hard pressed to equal this near 80 minute monster, with Clay Ruby and the gang aligning their spirts most acutely.
Almost every song is as epic as the album, all but two surpassing the 9 minute mark. "The Spells We Know" passes 14 minutes as a relatively few number of brethren create Native American-esque drumming out of a few pots and pans as bellowing, droning notes fill the background. As the pounding picks up pace and structure, the other instruments start to stir the pot, creating a soft tonal drone - sounding to my ears what a bug-zapper must look like to a fly. As the mind focuses on the tone, rock drumming explodes outward!
While some of Davenport's jams seem like they've got 20+ people bashing away, others are more intimate and delicate. After a couple opening minutes of squiggle and creek, "Frozen Country Dub" turns into, essentially, a duet of violin and guitar - with unintrusive banging around in the background. Granted, it's not Davenport's strong suit, but they pull it off well - the simple chord progression still sounds unique through its demented tuning and sawing style, with the violin hiding pretty little melodies in the corner as the guitarist saws saws saws away.
"Response From Worm Heaven" is also relatively bare and surprisingly pretty. Hogcall throat singing provides the main melody, but it is very well done. The guitarist scrapes away at his strings, giving the singing a 4/4 beat, then alternating in 4 beats of chords to compliment the tones, creating a nice compliment to the singing. As the singing drops out, the guitar rises up and takes the main melody of the song, accompanied by soft chanting and fluctuating tones before fading away.
Despite the ridiculous price ($15 for a CDR!?! packaging or not, that's tough to justify), this one is definitely worth picking up. The band has other new releases which are more accessible and more mind-fuck experimental, but this one may be the closest to who they actually are.
