Sediment

Sediment Volume Two (©2004 www.dorfsmith.com)

1: Solyreum Part 1 2: Pauper's Walrus 3: Alluvial 4: At Your Mercy 5: Free 6: Perelandra 7: December 8: Himane Waltz 9: Blah, Blah, Blah 10: Montaro 11: Piano Quintet 12: Trouble and Sorrow 13: Fire in the Sky 14: The Ghosts of Arkansas 15: Feel 16: What Means the Most 17: Stubborn 18: There Was No Siren 19: Swell 20: Solyreum Part 2

In terms of indie releases, this is about as homegrown as you can get. This is the second collection of eclectic music compiled and released by Elisha and Cynthia Dorfsmith. And for the price, there's pretty much something for everyone. If you like supporting indie artists you could do much worse than getting Sediment.

The results are pretty uneven, in terms of production and the quality of the songs, but I take my hat of to all of the contributors for taking a chance and putting themselves out there. The whole project does have a weird thematic symmetry, and at times feels like a soundtrack to some arthouse flick. Overall, this is a pretty fair collection.

Rather than take needless potshots at the weaker moments, I'll take the high road and single out some of the more accessible pop songs. Hang on, oh reader between the lines - this doesn't mean that any track I don't praise is crap. Well, maybe some - but not all. Remember this collection runs 20 tracks and 73 minutes. All I'm doing is running my mouth off on those bits and pieces I happen to like. I'd be surprised if my opinion is shared by many people. But, this is my site, and I can do what I want. If you don't like it, create your own site and write your own bloody reviews.

So, there.

Perelandra by Elisha Dorfsmith sounds like something pulled off the To Live and Die in L.A. soundtrack by Wang Chung, which is pretty cool. Mike Indest's Trouble and Sorrow is the best pop song on the album, although What Means the Most by Swimsuit Grandma and At Your Mercy by The Sungazers are two more really solid songs. Swell by The Radiant Dregs is so bad it's gone to the otherside of the spectrum and become good just by being so bad, which is good. The solo at the end is something Tommy Chong couldn't have pulled off on his best day.

In all, most of these guys will never see the big time, but there are a couple here who one day just might have a future out there. Then just think how valuable this CDR will be. Hmmm, maybe I should buy a couple more just in case ...

Reviewed April 11, 2004

Sediment Volume 3 (©2004 www.dorfsmith.com)

1: Falling Star 2: Tell 3: I've Got a New Pair of Underwear 4: Pentecostal Pamala Lee 5: Single in the First Degree 6: Pair of Thieves 7: Salacious and Tasteless 8: Young Men Should 9: Crickets in the Daytime 10: In the Clouds 11: Find You 12: Supercede 13: The Idiot Girl and the Bastard Twin 14: The Way She Plays 15: Chaotic Infinity 16: Godspeed Interlude / Sing 17: The Boy Who Cried Wolf 18: Trouble on the Farm 19: The Milton Mule 20: Ps66423 21: Under (Me)

Once again, the twisted folks at dorfsmith.com have collected an interesting assortment of weird, wonderful and for the most part pretty entertaining indie artists from across North America. The results are as varied as anything you're likely to hear.

So you're wondering, just how is this thing anyway? Well, to be honest a lot of it really isn't all that good. But I have to give the raggle taggle collection of small t tallent a lot of credit - they give it all they have, and often make up for their lack of ability with heart and guts. This isn't to say that this is all terrible stuff - not so. There are a few pretty good songs scattered here and there. Depending on who you talk to, everyone's list of favourites seems to be different. For those of you expecting me to list my likes, and have you infer my dislikes will be dissapointed. Although if you ask me I'll tell you ...

What makes this fun is that you never know what you're gonna get next. To the artists represented here just about all of them will never strike it big, but for a few minutes at least they got a taste of fame (fortune not included).

I'm looking forward to see what gets sifted off the bottom of the barrel for the next installment.

Reviewed May 19, 2005

Sediment Volume 4 (©2005 www.dorfsmith.com)

1: We Just Want Our Crowns 2: God's Little Secrets 3: Adreangst 4: Jiminy Cricket 5: Brescia 6: Step by Step 7: Meenagorp 8: Shattered Rose 9: Catholic as Hell 10: A Devil Named Agnes 11: 1973 12: Valentine 13: Las Alas De Tu Corazon 14: David Lindsay & The Girl With Cement Shoes 15: Flakes the Bunny 16: Can't Get Free 17: Something's Gotta Turn Around 18: When the Brick Comes Through the Window 19: Felix 20: Autumn Moonlight 21: Africans Can Bang a Can or Two 22: Teenage Pinks Laugh At Zen Buddhist Monks 23: Carni Crap & Trapeze Tampons

The folks at dorfsmith.com continue to push the envelope of indie music. There are a number of repeat offenders here, Swimsuit Grandma, Philip Stranger, and The Earworms who continue to march to their own drummer. Former Jacob’s Trouble alumnus Jerry Davison appears twice. Depending on how you look at it, is either a major coup, or an indication of how far the mighty have fallen (note, his songs kick ass over a lot of what JT put out). This project continues to draw new talent, and for those who like to try something a little different, this is pretty cool, albeit wildly uneven.

Now I do have to tread rather carefully here as I happen to know a lot of the people on this project, and I have nothing to gain by poking fun at the weaker moments here. This project is about diversity and celebrating artistic creativity – not trying to get signed and go on tour opening for Carman - although I’d pay money to see The Earworms duet on “The Champion”.

Of course having stated that I won’t talk about individual songs I have to mention “Flakes the Bunny”. It’s a madrigal so absolutely terrible and brutally atonal it reminds me of “Brave Sir Robin” by Neil Innes. It is laugh out loud funny.

Clocking in around an hour and ten minutes there are enough bona fide real songs here to push this over the hump. Many of the artists have real talent and no doubt with the right combination of luck and timing could actually go somewhere. What I find strange is my attitude toward this project. I actually appreciate the songs I don’t like – don’t get me wrong, some of it really bites in an American Idol tone deaf contestant fashion – but this isn’t about being good. It’s about being on a CD, even a compilation of other tonally handicapped artists, it’s all good. Sediment is truly a great big bag of licorice all sorts. Thankfully mixed in among black salt licorice are those really good bits.

Reviewed November, 14, 2005