Stationary Odyssey

Head! Foot! And the Pink Axe (2006)

Brian Shultz

There's a whole messload of instrumental post-rock/experimental albums that have dropped this year (not to mention how many of them will top "best of" lists everywhere). Maybe that's what makes Stationary Odyssey a little refreshing -- they're an instrumental band, but dabble a little bit more in the indie rock side of things, all along bathing in experimental waters.

"Me and You and Gummi Bears" thumps out of the gates with a Minus the Bear feel, pulsating its way through the speakers to begin the album. And yet, the mere presence of eerie whistling and twang-y guitars in the very next track, the brief "Lost, Lonely, and Vicious" give it a heavy spaghetti western vibe. "Cosmic Eddie, Oceanographer" fucks around with a little bit of industrial and weird, fuzzed out noise, creating a weird, schizophrenic album centerpiece. "Terror on the Hell Loop" borrows a tad bit of that for its procession. The only time we really hear typical, post-rock crescendo riffing is for a split moment in "Skeletons."

Not necessarily flooring, but definitely intriguing, Stationary Odyssey proves you can play around with instrumental indie rock just enough to make it delightfully interesting -- and at a 25-minute running time, it hardly overstays its welcome.

My Baby Is Black

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Terror on the Hell Loop