FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
TUATARA
Breaking the Ethers
Epic· New side project for R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, Screaming Trees' drummer Barrett Martin, and Luna bassist Justin Harwood.
· Instrumental world music for restless rock-types.
But at least they're not playing jazz.
Probably sick of the claustrophobic confines of their respective rock bands, the members of Tuatara sound like there's a lot to get out of their systems. What comes out is a dense spew of sounds that somehow, together, makes worldly music. Which part of the world is hard to say... but that's a good thing. Too many musicians wear their passports on their sleeves these days.
The jam session that ensues is full of skulking undertones, highlighted with steel drums, marimba, congas, dulcimer, penny whistle and piano. The songs are no more than dark rhythms and Buck, Barrett and Harwood do their best to build on them. The highlight is bari-saxman Skerik, who flies atop the band with a gritty, often funky feel.
Tuatara is exotic Morphine. A poor-man's (Peter Gabriel's) Passion. David Byrne in the dumps. A good Stewart Copeland record. A little bit samey at first, but it has lots of room to grow.
The best songs on this record are off-color, vivid moving pictures. The bad ones are the soundtrack to a festival movie you'll never see. But it's hard not to wonder: would Tuatara sound as good if we didn't know who was playing?
Unfortunately not.
3 of 5
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