3 and 4

If any country takes the cake when it comes to pigeonholing artists, it's the United States. Some American artists have managed to be total chameleons while recording for major labels — Prince and the late Miles Davis immediately come to mind — but in many cases, musicians who are known for a particular style of music are expected to stick to it. Side projects can be a way around that; with a side project, an artist can do something totally different from the type of music he/she is best known for. John Dwyer is a perfect example of that; he's best known for leading the noisy, distorted, in-your-face Coachwhips, but his side project OCS doesn't sound anything like that Bay Area band. 3 and 4, a two-CD set, has been greatly influenced by something that hasn't had any effect on the Coachwhips: folk-rock. But this 2005 release isn't a conventional folk-rock outing by any means; rather, Dwyer and colleague Patrick Mullins combine that folk-rock influence with bizarre, experimental electro-noise and a very muffled sound. It's a strange mixture, but a strangely appealing one — and most of the time, it works. 3 and 4 is mildly uneven and has its excesses; this album probably would have been better off if Dwyer and Mullins had omitted some of the less essential material and provided a single CD instead. But 3 and 4 has more ups than downs, and Narnack Records deserves credit for documenting more than one side of Dwyer's artistry. All things considered, 3 and 4 is an enjoyably intriguing demonstration of Dwyer's ability to do something that will never be mistaken for the Coachwhips.