the capstan shafts
the sleeved and grandaughters of the blacklist
( Abandoned Love Records ) 2005

"here's to less confusion in the new year".

So we have this fella, Dean Wells - known here as the capstan shafts, who seems to be the kind of guy who can pencil down / record / home-master an album all while his Vermont morning cup o' coffee perks through the filter. Likely the rare kind of guy who can make a small masterpiece quicker than his computer's burner can make a duplicate. Yeah, what will likely come to mind is obviously Robert Pollard [hear: "Can't Climb A Tree (Without Breaking A Few Branches)"] or (less-obviously) Lou Barlow - as you really wouldn't be too far off.. . there is opinionated genius lurking in these 20 tracks. Bee Thousand actually lives damn close to a fantastic track like "Grindcore Tribals" (or "Hominid Stickler") - and every acre of this sacred lot is about called for.

Only once on the 26 minute album does a track pass the 2 minute mark ("Chandelier Of Bad Ideas"), but it's the independent value of instrumentation on each track that keeps your attention at full grasp. Nearly every song encompasses acoustic &/or electric guitar, percussion and multi-tracked vocals - yet the sleeved and grandaughters of the blacklist is fully credited to the honest keeper of American analog known on his return address label as Dean Wells.

Facts: the stars are projectors, you aren't getting ANY younger and the captstan shafts catalog (a small vault) is well deserving of your attention before the kingdom come. C'mon - you can't find your favorite new artist[s] (without doing a little searching).. . start here.

{and to add to the incredible modern mail mystery* I have uncovered here online - I also received a couple more EP's before the sleeved had it's review properly structured.}

* 1 * 2

k :: (01.02.06)