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.
