*Bonus track, not included in the download version.
Issue
#159 Jun. ‘12
“I
wonder what
went on / under Truman’s Hat”
Have you ever wondered what went on in someone’s
head? Whether that someone was someone you knew personally, or
socially, or
perhaps they were famous… have you ever said “I
wonder what makes them tick?”
Knight Berman Jr. is a home recordist who uses
“The
Marble Tea” as his moniker. His
latest CD/EP marks only his 3rd
release in 8 years, but his song catalogue (output) in that time is in
the three
digit territory. Armed with several guitars, a keyboard, and Garageband
on a
MAC, Knight constantly records songs and offers them up on his blog,
for free,
monthly (The Marble Tea Webthing). His talent explodes in
Narcotic, lo-fi pop that
sinks its teeth into you and doesn’t let go - my personal
catalogue overflows
with Marble Tea songs.
The title song, Truman’s
Hat, expresses
Knight’s desire to know what made Truman Capote tick. Perhaps
as Knight was
writing/recording the song and contemplating how “They say / he had a nasty way / about him / when he
drank” (an
infectious hook that strokes the cerebellum musically while one man
crawls
under our hat, offering off-beat perspectives on off-beat subjects), he
arrived
at the idea to take us for a small journey under his/The Marble
Tea’s Hat.
Born from that is the side-project blog - a home
recording tutorial that guides us through the recording of The Marble Tea’s CD/EP Truman’s Hat. You can follow along at http://trumanshat.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/trumans-hat-the-premise-the-project/
This focuses on the
equipment and software that makes Knight tick.
Focusing on the music
output from these sessions and leaving the blog event to those of you
who do self/home
recording, I label Truman’s Hat
another masterpiece from the noggin of Knight
Berman Jr. While he uses the multi-media of computers to
allow us a
behind-the-scenes perspective, it is the addictive music and coyly
seductive
lyrics that ultimately fascinate.
After the title track has
sunk its laid-back jangle pop hooks deep into us, we get a
baroque/tango/vaudevillian, Flying-Lizards, Carnival-esque ride into
relationship territory with I've Got a Feeling About You, Dear. Segueing
next into a mambo, Tex Mex/Los Lobos mashup, Let’s Go Somewhere
gives
us a ripping, distorted, dirty lead that shreds behind such lyrics as:
“If you touch me there again / they
might
throw us in jail”
and “Let’s go somewhere
where we can be strangers
/ and we’ll fall in love again.”
The Calliope sound that
premeditates Baggage
serves as a reminder of simpler times, while we hear
the story of how the insane asylum of the brain is where we store our
baggage. Such
a Beautiful Bird is vintage Beatles, using the
English slang of Bird
for girl. We get a beautiful sentiment set lavishly among nice, sparse
arrangements and mild, synth loops that whisper of George
Martin’s insight and
production. Knight keeps the Beatles Bird/Girl metaphor rolling with Her Name
Is Pretty, which uses a Cat/Girl alignment to close
out the spectacular
musical presentation that accompanies the multi-media tutorial on how
one might
go about being a “Home Recordist.” –
Bravo Knight.
Have you ever wondered what went on in someone’s
head?
With Truman’s
Hat, The Marble Tea provides us with a multi-angle
glimpse
of what goes on under Knight Berman
Jr.’s
Hat, and then some.
The Marble Tea
- Truman's Hat
is available now for: $5.98 + s/h*
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*Shipping
&
Handling charges: USA - $3.00
for the first 2 CDs
ordered,
Add $1.50 per each CD after. Canada - $5.00 for the
first
CD ordered,
Add $2.00 per each CD after. Everywhere else -$7.00
for the
first CD ordered,
Add $3.00 per each CD after.
