NIEUWE CD's / Acorn - Sustenance (1996) (artikelnr: 707)

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At first reminiscent of the better '80s synthrock, such as The Fixx or Saga, or a darker Duran Duran, Acorn's music quickly expands beyond that genre. Their songs incorporate a panpoly of rhythms and effects, the wonderfully bizarre vocal interjections of Anna Homler, and lyrics that, rather than synching exactly with the rhythms of the instruments, drape across them like a cat atop a bookcase. In songs such as "Temperate" and the beautiful "Speak in Other Tongues", singer and primary songwriter Andrew P. Crane stretches out into a melodic chanting reminiscent of Dead Can Dance's Brendan Perry. While his ambition sometimes exceeds his strengths, his ear-opening sense of adventure makes these tracks a rewarding listen. Other tracks, such as "No Holds Barred", jump cut from Nine Inch Nails-like noise bursts to King Crimson-like rhythms to drifting vocals with a nervous excitement, while "4OB" overlays jazz-inflected keyboard lines, dub bass, and Crane's meandering melody with haunting flute and vocals by Emily Hay (of the unjustly obscure Motor Totemist Guild).