Teriyakis - Haunted Hungarian Sauna
(Priapus)
Teriyakis is a band with an identity crisis. Hailing from Lawrence, Kansas,
the band cannot seem to decide, both between songs and in the middle of songs,
whether it wants to be a 60s psychedelic pop rehash band like Asteroid #4 or
the Apples in Stereo, a early 90s indie rock mix of Pavement and
Sonic Youth, or a noisy punk band.
For instance, "Candela" starts with a minute of noisy, distorted guitar
waterfalls before a simple organ melody and singing turn the swirling guitar
noise backdrop into a psychedelic pop song, the backing singers bellowing
"ba-ba-ba-ju-wa." The song transitions into and out of pure guitar noise
again before abruptly ending. The next song, "Darth Waiter" (ha), continues
the psychedelic pop format with some nimble guitar playing before
degrading into a noisy punk song with angular, abrasive guitars.
"Picaresque and Proud" is possibly the prettiest song on the album,
starting off sounding something like an instrumental Sonic Youth pop song
or vaguely like an A Minor Forest song, with a simple accompanying piano part.
At about the two minute mark, though, the song totally falls apart, turning
into a sub-sub-Promise Ring song. Horribly simple guitars pound away as the
singer gives a shout out to someone in Detroit. Forty five seconds later
though, the band continues on with its pretty, instrumental song, now sounding
more post-rock-y, more like A Minor Forest.
Teriyakis take several opportunities to show their great affection for the
Polvo guitar sound, and "Leon's Yawn" is actually a very solid, if maybe more
mellow, use of that band's sound and style. That is, if it weren't for the
two instances when the sound and song reverts to standard, abrasive punk.
When the transition between styles is seamless, Teriyakis can use their
multiple personality disorder to their advantage. However, they don't always
make it seamless--sometimes that is not their intent--and in many of those
cases, I end up wanting to see a little less of the "Steve" and "Thurston"
personalities and a little more of "Robert." Nevertheless, there is much
to get into on this record, you just need a little patience to actually
achieve getting into it.
(I got through this whole review without plugging that Bob Weston produced
much of Haunted Hungarian Sauna! Maybe someone should start a band called
"Produced by Bob Weston." They would sell hundreds from the name alone.)
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