Published on Jun 5, 2003
If you’ve never heard of the Blue Man Group, then the rock under
which you’re currently residing probably doesn’t get cable. They’ve
been on countless TV programs, with their brand of midriff-free,
uh, world music. Which world? Good question… They appear to
be six gentlemen who daub blue paint all over themselves and play a
disjointed, angular, un-predictable brand of pop. Very intensely. A
bit like Tangerine Dream with 180 drummers.
The Blue Man Group utilize the usual guitar/bass/drums/keyboards
rock instrumentation (there aren’t any vocals), along with a myriad
of other, bizarre, home-made looking gadgets, all of which are
fashioned out of PVC (plastic piping used nowadays for your
plumbing system). Ever heard of these implements? Air poles (which
is like a giant rain-stick) the ‘pvc instrument’ (which is a
percussive device played in a similar fashion as one would address
the vibrophone), and appears to require at least three people to
properly utilize it. A tubulum, which is again, percussive, and
resembles long plastic organ chimes laid out horizontally. A
smaller tubulum resting on a back-pack, the cimbalom, which also
resembles the vibes, and is played by three freaks, the “big drum,”
which is just a giant bass-drum, the drum wall, which is a flank of
three percussionists, playing actual trap-sets, a zither, a
dumpster (I’m serious), a chapman stick, the timpani, a
“pressaphonic,” (huh?), a “piano smasher,” a ribbon crasher,
cabasa, shakers, doppler drums, djembe, shaker gong, a gyro shot,
gary strips, shekere, utne drums, sword, wiper, and angel air
poles, baritone guitar, the mini snare, lap steel, shaker gong,
cuica, a “crasher,” a toy drum kit, an alto drum kit, an electric
dog toy, quellium, aronophonic, doppler toms, upside-down bass,
12-string guitar, extension cord bull roar, and a tremelo bass.
Phew! All that comes together to make an instrumental whirlpool
of sounds that are only recognizable after you’ve read the lengthy
CD-booklet attached. Great album though. Only similar in my mind to
maybe one of John Zorn’s more-unhinged-than-usual projects. At
their most tame, the Blue Man Group remind me a tiny bit of
Tangerine Dream. A compliment coming from this guy.