Bumtech
Beware of D-G
Self-Released; 2008
On occasion, reviewers are introduced to music so confusing, so confounding, so mindbendingly obtuse that they’re not quite sure how to approach the record on its own terms, much less actually describe it to others. We’re not talking about those albums that turn a genre on its ear or astound the virgin ears of the aurally uninitiated with a new sound; we’re talking about music that, for better or for worse, falls so far outside of the musical mainstream that there’s almost not context in which to describe it. This is what we’re facing when listening to Beware of D-G, the new release from Portland, OR-based band Bumtech. Featuring a drum machine for the beats, new wave-ish guitars and keys, and alternating girl/guy lead vocals, this group still manages to sound nothing like classic new wave and certainly not like contemporary recreations of those sounds.
Yet, while such sonic ambition and creativity is to be applauded, the album, more often than not, falls flat on its face due to the marked inaccessibility of their approach. To put it another way, there are times when the band’s adherence to carving out a nice, weird niche for themselves overwhelms the music. It’s one thing to be minimalist, low-tech, and DIY, but it’s an entire separate issue when the songs themselves just aren’t any good. Moreover, Beware of D-G is replete with bizarre lyrical themes, including discussing one’s sexual proclivities with your grandmother (“K.A.F.”) and lines like, “The yuppie begat the weanis in the early ‘80s,” (from “Scrotessa, Weanis in the Workplace”). Thus, while there are occasions where it’s apparent that Bumtech can craft a solid ‘80s pop song (“Mama Schloss’ Fruit Jam” and “Oregon II” are rather good tracks), the entire effort is plagued with a curious combination of curious musical arrangements and even more curious lyrical choices.