Search - Uncle Wiggly :: Farfetchedness

Improvisational rock is a bloated concept often perpetuated by stoners who should never have picked up a guitar or bass or sat behind a set of drums. However, Uncle Wiggly prove themselves champs of the genre (or is it subgenre?) on this inspired 75-minute instrumental opus. Consisting of 20 individual pieces of divine clatter, this album creates a groove that is hypnotically engrossing throughout. There's a bit of everything related to the prog-improv-noise underground: lots of totally submerged, entrail-flaying guitar murk, lots of Velvets-type downstrokes, and even some dabbles into brass ("Greek Chorus II") and slide guitar ("Nylon Shimmer," which gently wafts into mantralike proportions). Oceanic sounds adorn "Uptown Pepsi Bar," as does a quavering Avalon Ballroom '66 atmosphere (think Quicksilver or the Dead) before breaking into a "Bolero"-style rave-up. "Mindbender," meanwhile, is like "Green Onions" rendered by the Residents during a booze cruise on the Exxon Valdez. In other places, the band conjures images of Frank Zappa ("Asparagus"), Can ("Hot Showers?" has "You Do Right"-type drums) and Television ("Bean at Large," among others). They also owe a big debt to the late-'70s Midwest clank and drone (Pere Ubu, MX80 Sound, etc.). Hell, they owe a lot to everyone, but the difference between Wiggly and so many other bands who are blatant about their influences is that Wiggly wears it well. Of all the instrumental bands and albums I've heard in the past five years in the wake of the prog revival, this is the best. --Joe S. Harrington