Album Review: Redrick Sultan - Trolling For Answers

After getting a glance at the artwork and hearing the first track off Trolling For Answers by Redrick Sultan I sort of felt like I was in for a half hour or so of silly, wacky music and I was worried. The only bands that pulled off silly music and were still critically successful (Captain Beefheart, Mr. Bungle, Later era Zappa) are often imitated and I wasn’t really in the mood for it.

By the end of the third track however, I didn’t really feel that way at all. I sort of felt like Redrick Sultan have more in common with bands like Was (Not Was) or King Missle, bands that couldn’t really be pinned down even by today’s excessive list of genre definitions. They are the kind of band that’s all over the place and sometimes it’s grating and sometimes its magical but you just have to let it happen. For example, the first track is kind of a dumper, but the fourth track, People, is absolutely brilliant. It’s a cacophony of melody and vast instrumentation and overall just a lovely piece of music and definitely memorable, a highlight for me.

You have to hand it to a band that can completely surprise you over and over again on a release, especially one so adventurous. Sometimes the vocals are kind of off, but other times they are immaculate and all is forgiven. Sometimes it gets a bit too jazzy for my liking, but then sometimes they have really interesting rock songs, like Angus’ Head Wound. The best part is, if something comes in to ruin a song for you (like the rap verses on Morningwood, probably the lamest part of the album), then just skip it, the next one probably has something you’ll find interesting. Every song is so different they need to be judged on their own merit, and large portions of them pass the grade.

This is definitely not for everyone, but if you consider yourself an adventurous listener, you might want to give it a try. There are definitely at least a few things you’ll appreciate.

- Josh "Pinky" Pothier