I have to admit the first listen of this album left me thinking, "Whatthe hell was *that*?" With thin vocals and dreamy, disjointed lyricslaid over distorted guitar, hip-hoppy beats, and the occasional sample,this release is something Beck might do after a week or so of sleepdeprivation.Archenemy
After a few listens, though, The Texas Governor (aka Dave Goolkasian)emerges as a quirky and intriguing listen. Standout tracks for me arethe opener "Shortwave Radio," which features distorted vocals and ahell of a beat, and "Leave Your Life Behind You," which floats along ona stream of heavy bassline punctuated by minimal percussion. Fromdistortion and feedback to soft synths and slide guitar, there are alot of very different (but all loopy) things going on here, so much sothat it's almost hard to believe the peacefully tripping "The AmazingSleeping Alarm Clock," the nursery rhyme-evoking "Think About...," andthe frantic punk song "1234," are all on the same album, much less bythe same artist. But somehow all the quirkiness works without leavingthe album feeling uneven or jarring. It's also surprising to note thatGoolkasian has managed to fit 11 tracks into just over 30 minutes. Ican think of a lot worse ways to spend half an hour than listeningto this offbeat and entertaining release.
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