Dryvetyme Onlyne

Tambersauro
Theories of Delusional Origin
Esotype; 2008

The world is full of limit-pushers, those people who take joy in pressing, stretching, and seeking out the furthest extents of their reach. Some engage in this behavior in order to push the buttons of their handlers, parents, and the general authority figure(s) in their life because of some real or imagined source of repression. Others are unable to sit contentedly in one place because of a conscious or unconscious need to always be on the move. And still another set of people sees walls surround them, and, no matter how close or far away they might be, there is this desire to discover what lies behind those borders that cannot be contained. There is a common thread that runs between the members of this latter group – adventurers, artists, writers, scientists, mathematicians, and megalomaniacs – one that ties them together: they are all explorers.

It is this passion for exploration and experimentation that runs through the veins of Tambersauro, a three-piece proggy art-rock outfit from Houston, TX, and it can be heard in full force on their newest release, Theories of Delusional Origin. From the outset, the band takes the listener on a vibrant, exciting, yet ostensibly direction-less voyage through time signatures, tonal textures, and sonic peaks and valleys, but upon deeper examination of the trek, experienced travelers realize that there is a specific path being taken here. There is a tightly-wound sense of urgency to the group’s musical trek, one that propels them further onward to their goal, yet there is much to be enjoyed across the whole of the journey, beginning with the appreciation of how in-sync these three gentlemen are in their music-making.

It would be easy to cast about words like eccentric, eclectic, Fugazi, The Blamed, free jazz, and just plain weird to describe Tambersauro’s intricate and complex compositional style, but those are rather lazy descriptors. It would be more accurate to discuss how Theories of Delusional Origin actively pushes against the boundaries of what rock music can, could, and should be, in that, the album explores how different, seemingly disconnected snippets of songs can be collected together and fused into a beautiful whole. As indispensable as traditional pop song structure might be at times, there’s something to exploding the formula and striking off to discover new means, modes, and methodologies to express one’s self musically. It is to this end that makes this album work on multiple levels: Tambersauro is rooted in the fundamentals of their instruments and they openly honor their stylistic forebears, while eagerly seeking any and all willing companions to take along with them on their musical journey. And what a wild, fun ride it is.