Published on Feb 1, 2001
Imagine, for a moment, that Blue Man Group took off their
makeup, only to reveal themselves as a combination of The Residents
and GWAR (albeit with no scatalogical references). I think you’d be
close to describing who Bentmen are… and even that isn’t quite
adequate to cover all bases.
Their third CD,
Immaculate Contraption, is a bizarre collage of music and
vocal imagery that is sure to send listeners hoping for something
more stable scurrying for cover. If, however, you make sure your
seat belt is fastened and you hang on for dear life to the guard
rail, you just might find parts of this disc to be an enjoyable
ride.
Fronted by vocalist Des (who also wears the titles of lyricist
and “master of ceremonies”), Bentmen seem eager to take typical
song structure and butcher it with a chainsaw. It’s kind of like
KMFDM meeting Nine Inch Nails in a blender – cripes, stop me before
I comparison shop again!
The weirdness, though, occasionally seems to have its place as
the music helps to tie all the loose ends together. Tracks like “My
Sister’s Eyes,” “Boy / Girl,” “Holy Man” and “Lobster Bib” all do
have more than a few moments where Bentmen prove there is method to
the madness. Dare I say it, there even seems to evolve from the
nonsense soup a sense of structure and form – which, fittingly,
collapses in upon itself at the conclusion of each song.
A few songs do occasionally grate on the nerves (“Flatfoot,”
“Antithesis”), but I guess this is to be expected when you play
with the laws of musical nature. And I’d be lying if I said this is
the kind of disc that will please everyone. To understand what
Bentmen are trying to accomplish means that you have to be more
adventurous in your musical adventures, and willing to try new
things. Bentmen make sure you get more than the recommended daily
amount of musical variety, that’s for sure.
But it’s too easy to write
Immaculate Contraption off as a novelty disc – as it most
certainly is not a humorous listen. I don’t claim to have full
understanding of this disc yet, but there does seem to be something
underlying all the crazed imagery, and if you can decipher that,
I’m willing to bet you’re in for a bigger treat than you would be
if you simply liked the music.
Immaculate Contraption is a strange, yet occasionally
wonderful listen that challenges the listener and stimulates their
minds. It’s not the normal way you’d spend 40 minutes in front of
the stereo… and I think that was Bentmen’s goal all along.