Cerberus Shoal - Crash My Moon Yacht
(Pandemonium)
Portland, Maine's Cerberus Shoal have been kicking around the underground for most
of the 90's. Originally started by guitarist Caleb Mulkerin as an emo-styled
post-hardcore act, Cerberus Shoal has grown over the years to incorporate post-rock
and ethnic music influence into their sound.
This album is largely percussion driven and mostly instrumental--bells, congas,
and some Eastern instruments accentuate the compositions. Songs unfold slowly and
delicately, occasionally breaking into rock parts (as on the danceable "Breathing
Machines").
My only complaint with Crash My Moon Yacht is in the guitar production. Some parts
have a strange 80s rock sound that maybe would belong better on a Journey record.
The hippie aspect is pretty tolerable, though it becomes too much on occasion.
The band has gone through many lineup changes with complementary stylistic changes.
Crash My Moon Yacht is a bit more rock oriented than 1999's fantastic Homb. The
live show that toured the US this summer was markedly different from anything they
have recorded--an amazing pastiche of indie-rock, Appalachian folk music, and
tribal percussion. When that lineup records the results should be quite
impressive.
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