Published on Jan 1, 2001
There is eclectic music… and then there’s just
weird. Angel Anton falls under the latter category.
This three-piece group, led by guitarist Marcel Anton (who has
been known to take the stage wearing only a pair of Speedos – well,
guess it’s better than the infamous Red Hot Chili Peppers tube
sock), claims to have a Frank Zappa-like vibe to their music on
their disc
Orbital Groove. All I know is that, if Frank were alive to
hear that claim, he’d lay waste to these guys so fast it would make
their instruments explode.
Problem number one with this disc: lack of a strong vocalist.
Whoever told Anton he had a singing voice should have their hearing
checked; if he indeed is the one providing the pipes on tracks like
“Beatles Medley,” his vocals are wobblier than a house of cards and
thinner than a sheet of rice paper. His bandmates – bassist Gary
Vaughan and drummer Leon Abner – are only marginally better.
Problem numbr two: aimless musical styling. On one side, it
sounds like Angel Anton is going for an island groove at times; at
others, they try to bring in the funk (and don’t do nearly as
well). Tracks like “Tomorrow,” “Hot & Wendy” and “I Dream Of
You” suggest that Angel Anton just doesn’t know which direction
they should be taking their music – and until they do make that
decision, they shouldn’t unleash such uncertainty on an
unsuspecting audience.
Problem number three:
Orbital Groove leads the listener to expect that they’re
about to hear musical expertise so great that their speakers will
melt. That kind of a moment comes only once – on the instrumental
track “Malibu”. Unfortunately, the weaknesses of this group
sometimes outweigh the moments that one would normally pick as
stand-outs. “Lady X” might have been a killer track… if someone
else had done it. Vaughan is made out to be an incredible
five-string bassist… too bad his work is often buried in a sonic
mess.
Yeah, I know I should be more supportive to an upstart band,
especially one on a smaller label… but Angel Anton makes it
almost impossible to like them, and
Orbital Groove is a disc which just grates on the listener’s
ears. It’s hell trying to get through Angel Anton’s
Orbital Groove, and I just wish someone would stop the
music.