Get Hustle - Dream Eagle 12"
(Three One G)
The Get Hustle are a difficult band. Their music is very difficult to describe: closest to free jazz, if the musicians were schooled in carnival music? Fucked cabaret? Lounge punk? It sounds so horrible on paper. But, the result is refreshing, manic and plain bizarre. Their Earth Odyssey album stands as easily one of my favorite albums of the last 5 years, and easily the most daring record to come out of the San Diego hardcore scene.
In the time since they released that album, they have moved from San Diego to Portland, and the line-up has been pared down. Unfortunately, guitarist Dave Stone has left the band. The distinctive style he had developed was what gave the lounge/jazz/circus swagger of Earth Odyssey, its teeth, validating the strange wanderings, and guiding the proceedings with deft mutilations of tone and melody. That's probably why The Melvins picked him up (last I heard of him was when I saw him playing with The Melvins).
And so we come to Dream Eagle, a short EP of 4 songs, which, after hearing they were guitar-less, I put on my stereo with very low expectations. Much to my surprise (and joy!), Get Hustle are more than capable of moving forward without the guitar. In the guitar's place is an organ. So, now it's drums, piano, organ, and vocals. Man, I should *hate* these guys! Stripped down and immediate, the opener, "Pharoahs Horses," is less scattered than their previous songs, relying on an uneasy propulsive energy. Lyrically, Valentine (the singer) is as impenetrable as ever. If Jim Morrison hadn't been so dumbed down, he may have come up with some of her chants.
The only misstep on the EP is a call and response of "Are You Ready?" and "Yes, I'm Ready" at the end of "Silver Dollar," which isn't really a misstep, but a little trite. Dream Eagle ends with the epic "Lost Cities of Gold" (at 9 1/2 minutes), which is different from the usual Get Hustle song in that it uses repetition and droning organs instead of the scatterbrained chaos they tend toward. The result is still a speeding train heading over a cliff. The fury and chaotic swing of Get Hustle is as immediate and strong as ever, and I anxiously await their next move.
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