Robbie Lee CD Review
Robbie Lee
Sleep, Memory
(I And Ear)
Savant musician’s “mathematically governed” solo debut pulls ideas in with abandon, ends up sounding like an acid casualty.
Of course, some of the most intriguing records in rock history were actually recorded by acid casualties, counting Syd Barrett, Roky Erikson, and Gordon “Lone Pigeon” Anderson among them. (O.K., the official line on Anderson was an “illness” kept him out of The Beta Band, but come on.) Sleep, Memory doesn’t so much stumble as A.D.D. its way through 19 tracks and two interludes, relying on unconventional as well as standard rock instrumentation to bring home a bevy of ideas. Lee’s reputation as the mad scientist of modern jazzbos (solo “brainwave” music; he was an amateur paleontologist) contributes in only the most abstract ways like the creaking sound of pulleys. “Salt Song” recalls Sparklehorse’s nighttime folk, while “Whirr” uses an elastic sax and some banjo to make you go “Wha???” You’ll remember this whether you dreamt it or not.
— Kevin Keegan
Click here to download “Salt Song.”
