Satan Is Dead

A man of mystery,Quintron is essentially a one-man band hailing from New Orleans, LA. His weirdo rock centers around his manic organ playing (which can be heard at length on Play 9 Songs with Mr. Quintron, the gospel album he recorded with rowdy Memphis guitar slingers the Oblivians). While some of Quintron's later releases, and many of his collaborations with puppet-wielding partner Miss Pussycat, often yield quirky, fun songs, Satan Is Dead is a bit more grating. From the opening strains of "Bass Solo" (a 30-second track of silence and tape hiss), it becomes clear that the album lacks focus and suffers from the absence of Quintron's spazzed-out Jimmy Smith-esque noodlings. The new "dance craze" Quintron promises at the introduction of "Do the Stomp" devolves into a fuzzy militant march. Written well in advance of hurricane Katrina, "9th Wd. Breakdown" offers a shout-out to Quintron's adopted home stomping ground in New Orleans. Most of the album's vocals are nonsensical mumbling, making it hard to point to any song as being particularly catchy or memorable. "Nonstop Danger" is driven by frantic organ lines and static vocals that give the feeling of being a radio transmission of alternate-universe gospel. "American music/Just like a time bomb," Quintron and Miss Pussycat chant. "Organ Solo" is likely the highlight of the album. Driven by a programmed drumbeat and topped with keyboard runs that blip and bleep like giddy Star Wars droids, the song is a glimpse at the experimental playfulness that makes much of Quintron's work worthwhile. In addition to his keyboard attack, Quintron is something of an inventor, best known for a contraption dubbed the Drum Buddy. In addition to the light-powered drum machine's use in several of Satan Is Dead's Southern-flavored avant noise tracks, the album includes an audio commercial for the Drum Buddy. Even more intriguing, the album includes a photo of the mysterious Drum Buddy contraption, which looks like a mash-up of a phonograph and a salon hair dryer. ~ Karen E. Graves, Rovi