Ultra Dolphins – “Alien Baby”

The newest release from the Ultra Dolphins is what I would call avant-garde, noise music with a heavy punk influence. On Alien Baby the Ultra Dolphins keeps things fresh and interesting by adding completely original and at times odd vocal arrangements. The delivery is quite unlike almost anything I have ever heard and I feel it sets them apart from many of the bands in this genre making the songs downright memorable at times.

As can be expected with this type of release there are lots of time changes and spasmodic rhythm arrangements all of which seem to work really well on this disc. I have not had a chance to see Ultra Dolphins live, but I imagine that these up tempo slightly punk-laced tunes have the crowd slamming and bouncing with glee.

Some of my favorite tracks on this disc are “The Ape I Know” and the faster punk influenced “Ground Nest”, both of which are good solid tunes. I also liked the tune “Handbag” but for a slightly different reason, clocking in at over 8:00 minutes long the song is a musical/noise journey of sorts. There is so much going on in this tune that even though it is quite long it never got boring. Yes at times it is a bit eclectic but I found it to be interesting to say the least. Surprises abound around every measure enough so that my extremely short attention span stayed engaged throughout.

At the end of the day, Alien Baby is a decent release that fans of the genre are sure to dig. If you are looking for something a bit off the beaten path that is still listenable and enjoyable give this one a try. It truly is unique.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Have A Leg
02. Ground Next
03. A Home In The Woods
04. The Transgressor
05. Broth And Brine
06. The Ape I Know
07. Strengthening Man
08. Alien Baby
09. Handbag

Total Time: 37:00
Release Date: 08.31.2010