steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Coltrane Motion

"No Well OK Maybe Just A Little" CDEP

datawaslost

Genre: electro folk, lo-fi

April 2006

First off, I apologize for taking seven thousand years to review this record... it seems to have just fallen through the cracks like sand on a deck. It's a shame, too, because this is some really good work. Coltrane Motion is one of the datawaslost collective's longest-running bands, and yet they've probably been the one I've been least exposed to. Perhaps it's something about the name "Coltrane Motion" that suggests some sort of long-winded, improv-heavy display of self-absorption. Quite the opposite, actually - these four songs are all strong-beated, electro-folk ditties designed to be catchy and easy to absorb.

Opener "Pi Is Exactly Three" takes the cake with its up-front, confident style and instantly memorable melody. The danceable rhythm also keeps things interesting. The glitchy "End of Every Movie" follows, sounding something like a less melodic (and hence successful) Notwist track; it isn't terrible, only a little bland. Fortunately "Supersexy '67" picks things up with a nice riff and a refreshing breakthrough chorus, something like a cross between the Primitive Radio Gods' "Standing Outside a Broken Tollbooth With Money in My Hand" and Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" ... or maybe just some good old Beck. Finally, "I Guess the Kids Are OK" comes on, brandishing a slick style and a foot-moving rhythm. All in all, Coltrane Motion's EP was a surprise hit for me. I never noticed these guys before, but now I want to hear more.

MP3 (from datawaslost.net): Pi Is Exactly Three

87%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 4 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2005]