Soulo
“Man, the Manipulator”
(Plug Research)
“Emotions, Can You Trust Them?” is the title of the fourth track on this album. From my limited experience, emotions are not to be trusted. While it may seem like a good idea to whistle and hoot at the hot girl walking down the street, it never is. While it may seem prudent to punch the guy breathing too loudly on the elevator in the neck, remember that he’ll punch your skinny ass back. While it may seem sly to put your arm around the girl sitting next to you in the movie theater, be advised that her boyfriend will likely break your fingers.
While it may seem like this CD would suck based on the fact that the cover art is wack, the beautifully haunting violins on “Born Female” and the haphazard electronic fusion on “The Pursuit of Loneliness” will prove otherwise. Soulo is an almost entirely instrumental outfit, preferring to allow the French horns, clarinets, banjos, and violins (among others) speak for themselves. The soft distortion sprinkled liberally throughout “Man, The Manipulator” reminds me a bit of REM in a good way (which, to be honest, I didn’t know was possible) and also of the Beta Band, again, in a good way. They are jazz, they are psychedelic rock, they are avant-garde electronica, they are damn cool. Way cooler than you. Not as cool as your mom, but still cooler than you.
