Cul De Sac China Gate CD

Cul De Sac: Glenn Jones (vocals, guitar); Robin Amos (vocals, synthesizer, electronics); Chris Fujiwara (vocals, bass); Jon Proudman (vocals, drums).
Engineers: Bill Salkin, Walter Stickle, Jon Williams.
Recorded at Rainfarm Studios, North Reading, Massachusetts in August 1995.
Personnel: Glenn Jones (vocals, guitar); Robin Amos (vocals, synthesizer, electronics); Jon Proudman (vocals, drums); Chris Fujiwara (vocals).
Recording information: Rainfarm Studios, North Reading, MA (08/1995).
Unknown Contributor Role: Glenn Jones .
Arranger: Cul de Sac.
Beginning and almost ending with an interpretation of the title track, a lesser known collaboration from the mid-century musical figures Victor Young and Harold Adamson, China Gate, edited down from one lengthy recording session, finds Cul de Sac fully coming into its own. Smack-dab in the middle of a post-rock craze which the band itself had no real part in or immediate affinity for, the quartet's combination of artistic inspirations from around the world into an at-once dreamy and energetic series of compositions won it long-due attention. Each of the members' specific talents get a chance to shine, all without seeming like a series of solo spots or showboating on their part. "Sakhalin" is one excellent example, with Jones and Amos trading off guitar and synth pieces in the best jazz tradition as Fujiwara and Proudman lay down a steady, swinging rhythm. Top that off with a bit of studio chatter after the song ends about the meaning of the title, and the feeling is of a band at once serious and relaxed about what they do -- a good balance that continues throughout. Everything from queasily disturbing synth and electronic lines from Amos to unaccompanied drumming from Proudman goes into the mix, the feeling being like an open-ended journey through a mystic mental landscape. One sign of the band's abilities lies in how it can tackle both loud and soft material with the same evocative grasp, as the quiet but never evanescent "James Coburn" demonstrates, building up just enough, but no more, for its ending. Other high points include Jones' chiming, almost rollicking guitar work on "Doldrums," Fujiwara's lovely bass on "Hemispheric Events Command," which stays just enough to the fore as the rest of the band kicks in, and the lengthy explorations of "The Fourth Eye." ~ Ned Raggett
This 1996 release is the true follow-up to Cul de Sac's remarkable debut, ECIM (the interim I DON'T WANT TO GO TO BED was a fascinating self-recorded sidebar, though it was culled and edited from past band improvisations). Cul de Sac chose to open this album in a surprising way for an instrumental band--with an acapella group vocal on the Adamson-Young chestnut, "China Gate." From there, the band members dive headlong into the gorgeous and evocative compositions of guitarist Glenn Jones. Sounding like a mix of John Fahey (their next album, THE EPIPHANY OF GLENN JONES, was a collaboration with Fahey) and the German band Can, the pieces utilize an approach of gradual unfolding, as the music builds to climaxes constructed of variations on the central themes. This was Cul de Sac's first recording with drummer Jon Proudman, who brings a lighter, jazzier feel to the music. The production work of Jon Williams is also a key reason for this album's success.Rolling Stone (6/27/96, p.59) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Cul de Sac manage to reconcile the visceral locomotion of '60s garage rock with the futuristic drone of...cheap analog synthesizers....[They] maintain a devotion to the groove, which guarantees a shot of rhythmic comfort to help those sonic challenges go down."
Alternative Press (6/96, p.75) - 5 - Supreme - "...can conjure...autobahns and tsunamis, spaghetti westerns and spy flicks..."
Option (9-10/96, p.101) - "...Cul De Sac creates instrumental topographies that at turns soothing, grating, meandering, intense, organic, electronic, new age, space age, chaotic and controlled....the band's transitions between styles are amazingly smooth..."
Melody Maker (12/21-28/96, pp.66-67) - Ranked #50 on Melody Maker's list of 1996's `Albums Of The Year.'