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Parlour, "Octopus Off-Broadway"

Do you remember what your first dream was like? When you woke up youwere either so glad it was over, or you wanted to go back and live inthat world forever. Sometimes you'd have the dream again and again,like some foreboding message or prophecy. If I had a dream where I ameverything I want to be, I would want Parlour to provide thesoundtrack. And I would want that dream to happen every time I go tosleep, just so I could hear that music again. Tim Furnish, best knownfor his work in Cerebellum and Crain, formed Parlour by joining withthe experimental band Paden in 1999, and the result is nothing short ofstunning. A strong rhythm section drives each track, with keyboardbeeps, whistles, and samples joined with hypnotic guitars and bassfeeding the frenzy. Furnish's dabbling in Aerial M and The ForCarnation have had an influence on him, as this music is dark in tone,but not sinister. From the opening track, 'Stipendlax,' with its simpleguitar chords and droning bass; to the funky bass and keyboards of'Aflipperput'; to the simple lullaby melody of 'Sleeper'; to thelaidback groove of 'Weeds That Grow Into Trees'; Parlour infect youwith their driven, relaxing tone. Every track is a lot to absorb in onelisten, as there's so much happening on so many different levels.Fortunately, although the music is simple, it is never repetitive. Eachtrack builds and builds, adding elements that intersect, intertwine,and interrupt your brain's normal activity. It's that infecting andthat endearing. This is cerebral math rock. This is the sound ofdreams. And I'm going to sleep here pretty soon.

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