Minnesota’s The Umbrella Sequence are another of those groups who dispense space rock for the mentally unhinged. Indeed, The Flaming Lips and Grandaddy would look fondly at this hitherto unknown act, who show a variety of melodies on their first album.
‘Urban Lull’ is the band with their pop heads on, Ryan Rupprecht singing in that crazed manner which suggests Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in an astronaut suit whilst all round him a variety of bleeps and technical wizardry burst out of the speakers. It’s a good start brought back down to earth by the reflective ‘This Time We’re Positive’ - like the countrified ‘At The Great Lake’ and the melancholic soft rock of ‘The Need To Make Lists’ - it demonstrates the yearning quality this young group are capable of. Respect is also due to the urgent escalating riff which propels ‘Et Tu Forte?’, which has the immediacy and excitement of all good punk records. Granted, I occasionally found the music just a little too maddening to love but I admire their off-kilter approach to tune making and their recent UK tour should have enticed a few more fans into their warped world.
Web Sites:
The Umbrella Sequence Official Site
The Umbrella Sequence MySpace
Further Listening:
Flaming Lips, Grandaddy, Midlake
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