The Runes
Radio Banned

Total Time: 61:21
Cost: $8.98 +s/h*

Accepting Credit Cards and PayPal

Read Our Review

STYLE: Artistic Rock
(not to be confused with Art Rock)

HOME TOWN: Austin, TX

Visit The Runes WEB SITE

E-MAIL The Runes

Check out The Runes CDs:
Dancing with Ghosts & Lost Songs
also Hangin' on the Edge
By Gravity Jacket

© 2003 Matt Kjeldsen / Raging Fyre Music Pub.

1. Party of God
2. Lick Your Teeth
3. Dummies are Green
4. The Big Wanker Blues
5. Killing Myself
6. God Put the Fun in Fundamentalist
7. Progress
8. The Decca Dance
9. America Breathing
10. Jesus 2 (The Return)
11. Waitin' for Life to Begin
12. Brain Dead
13. High All The Time
14. Shoot the Buffalo
15. Dumb Ass Love Song

I grew up in close proximity to Yale University, so it was common fare to waste lazy days roaming the campus, and I sometimes wasted lazy rainy days amid the various museums and art galleries. I remember one day in particular; it was a nasty rainy day, with a driving rain, howling wind, and occasional thunder rumblings. It set an eerie tone to my wandering the halls of the Yale Art Gallery. So it didn’t surprise me to see an older distinguished gentleman sitting on a viewing bench and taking in a painting on the far wall. It was a non-descript painting of what seemed to me as old Europe. It portrayed a cobblestone street with stone and brick buildings, windows with tattered curtains, a cart set as a fruit and vegetable stand, and to the right side, a small alleyway. Nothing striking, nothing of immediate note.

I continued on with my tour and about 45 minutes later found myself in the same place where the same distinguished gentleman was still looking at the same (what seemed to be bland) painting. Curiosity filled me and I approached the man, begged his pardon and asked, “What captivates you so?”  “The woman in the doorway,” was his response. Of course I did not see the woman. “Where?” I inquired. “See the alleyway? Halfway down on the right is a door, it’s split, the top half is open and the woman is leaning on the bottom half and looking out of the alley and into the street.” Peering, I found the woman he spoke of, yup, sure enough there she was. “Wow,” I said, “I would’ve never noticed her if you hadn’t pointed her out to me.” “What do you suppose she’s thinking about?” he asked me. “I don’t know.” “What do you think she’s looking at?” was the follow up question. Again I responded that I didn’t know. “Go walk up close to the painting and take a long hard look at that woman, and then come back to this bench.” So I did, and when I returned he asked me, “What did she look like up close?” “Just a few strokes and dots of paint, that’s all.”

He smiled at me and with a slight chuckle said, “Of course, because when viewed up close and literally all it is is a bunch of paint, but pull back and let the art breath and suddenly you find those streaks, dots, and strokes of paint take on a life, and that life can manifest itself into whatever the viewer deems important enough for it to represent. Like the woman there in the doorway. In the time I’ve been sitting here she has manifested herself into many different forms and variations of themes that are present and relevant to me. Whereas, and the reason for my inquiry of you, she absolutely represents whole and entirely different aspects through your viewpoint. That, my son is the beauty of art.”

Radio Banned by The Runes is that non-descript painting, easy to walk by upon first listen, nothing striking, nothing of immediate note. But when you take the time to really listen, you see the woman in the doorway of the alley. And what is she looking at? What is she thinking?

Matt Kjeldsen (vocals, guitars, keyboards, button pushing, additional percussion) is the main artist behind The Runes and it is his inspiration that has produced this 3^rd album by the Austin, TX group, which also includes Julie Carlton (bass, vocals, sax), Brian Collins (guitars, vocals), Jimmy Holloway (drums, percussion, vocals), and Carrie Miller (cello, violin,vocals). Working with a loose theme of “ideas and implications that can and will be offensive to some people,” Matt has created a “Compilation” CD – Each song is credited to a different (aptly) named band – that pushes the boundaries of what each individual may (or may not) be thinking about a variety of subjects: some everyday, some sensitive, some taboo, but none off limits. Add to these the self proclaimed “styles or bastardization of styles” of music that stretch across the board, and we find a CD that at first listen seems to be just streaks, dots, and strokes of music, but when allowed to breathe it manifests itself into whatever the listener deems important enough for it to represent.

A prime target is religion. Opening with a track left off The Runes 1^st CD “Lost Songs,” “Party of God” has a bit of fun with Jesus and nature through the believing eyes of an aging hippie. “God Put the Fun in Fundamentalist,” skewers the right wing conservatives while sounding like a rally cry for the Jerry Farewells of the world, “We’re gonna take this land back from the commies, freaks, and queer boys / we’re gonna make this Christian country free from choice / we’re gonna keep them schools from teachin’ evolution lies / we’re gonna make sure sex is always sanitized.” But it’s actually delivered with so much tongue in cheek that you’ll be singing along just for the chance to stick it to everyone whose holier-than-thou beliefs are actually detrimental to the well being of man (and God) in general. “Jesus 2 (The Return),” ruminates on how the Church probably would not accept Jesus today if he appeared as an average man (as he did 2000 years ago). And, “High All The Time,” compares any religion’s Holy Rollers to drug addicts. Whether or not you think this is good or bad is left to you and what you’re thinking while you sit on that viewing bench and take in the overall portrait that is presented.

That portrait also includes songs that upon first listen will have you wondering, but hold on there, don’t get up and walk away just yet… “The Big Wanker Blues” sounds like a Tom Waits outtake complete with gravely half-spoken lyrics that portray a man and the problems he’s encountered because of his huge (“I’d be genuinely monstrous, if I wasn’t so colossal”) member, set to some of the finest, and do not overlook this - saloon style, stand up, Honky Tonk piano to spill out of the old West since the days of the buffalo. Speaking of the buffalo, “Shoot the Buffalo” is a traditional campfire song that is rendered in such a straight and faithful style that it can only blow your mind when you think of how our pioneer ancestors could have even written something so morbid, yet sung so gaily. And “Brian Dead” gives us a backwoods barroom sing along soliloquy complete with a mini fiddle solo and down home moonshine jam.

The payoff of Radio Banned is the songs. They make this CD worth investing a bit of lazy or rainy days into, because the more you listen to it, the more you’ll find the many different forms and variations of themes that are present and relevant. “America Breathing” allows a place for our own post 9-11 sediment. “Waiting for Life to Begin” lends a comment on our helpless feelings of individual places and points in life. “Lick Your Teeth” rocks out while exploring every boy’s fantasy of making it with the luscious Queen of the Local (or for that matter National) TV News. And “Progress” sums up the place, race and disgrace of mankind in a 4 minute and 41 second sprint across the last 200 years.

All these and more, covering more music styles than have a right to be on one LP. Which brings us back to the “Compilation” concept, for this is too evident to be able to single out each and every individual arrangement, instrument, production, and/or engineering achievement – this is another area that more than one sitting is required in order to find and appreciate each and every brush stroke, dot, dab, and streak of music.

Matt Kjeldsen painted Radio Banned over a 5-year period. The Runes are that woman in the doorway of the alley. I’ve been sitting here listening to her manifest herself into many different forms and variations of themes that are present and relevant to me. Whereas, and the reason for my addressing of you, she absolutely represents whole and entirely different aspects through your viewpoint. That is the beauty of art.

“What do you suppose she’s thinking about?”

The Runes - Radio Banned
is available now for: $8.98 +s/h*

     View Shopping Cart  /  Checkout
Accepting Credit Cards and PayPal

*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.