Sometimes you get the raccoon and sometimes the raccoon gets you. And sometimes the raccoon tells you about an experimental noise rock band from Texas called Flender and their album “Precious Essence”. Raccoons have diverse musical tastes. Not many people know that.
So, with the raccoon now scared out of your backyard, is “Precious Essence” truly experimental? As such albums go, this one is determined to take up residence in the left field. Not the avant-garde left field but more the sweet smell of inspiration, rambling on my mind, left field with shifting tempos keeping the distinctly freeform lyrics from straying anywhere near logical territory. With all thoughts of synthesisers, nice haircuts and autotuning now removed from your mind, you should now get the picture. Eleven songs there are and eleven songs are what you get. None of them seem to follow a particular pattern unless not having a particular pattern is a pattern. Yes, maybe.
The odd thing about this oddity is that it all sort of comes together and sticks in your head. You wouldn’t think that the Flender way would be the way of sense but out of this nonsense, sense does come. It’s like waking from a dream and finding yourself in Falkirk. They don’t have raccoons in Falkirk but at least you will now know why. Cosmic!
Best song: The almost Beefhartian “Boot Liqueur.”
Verdict: Woosh!