(from CWSY#5, March '01) / home / reviews index
Gerling - 'Children
of Telepathic Experiences' (Infectious)
One of the criminally under-rated albums of 2000, from an Australian
trio known by their identical backpacks.
Gerling's debut UK single 'Death to the Apple Gerls' pricked up a few ears, sounding like forgotten 'sugar-metal' kids Radish would if, instead of being the post-Nirvana/pre-Blink embarrassment they were, they had become good by murdering the Lemonheads and eating their brains in order to absorb the Catchy Tune gene. Still, some were suspicious about this latest export. Were they just the nu Living End?
The follow-up single took those fears and moulded them into little plasticine doggies, and made ears not only prick up but consult the brain as to the date of their last MOT. 'Enter, Space Capsule' was no mere brat-punk mayhem, but a fully-fledged French-style piece of easy electronica which even made it onto a teengirl mag cover CD!
It doesn't seem to make much sense, but in fact it's obvious. Sometimes you go to a teen rock gig and hear dubby electronica played between the bands, and you wonder why the mediocre guitar merchants ignore it. Gerling finally put these two styles together. So, much of this album is a 21st century kindergarten Kraftwerk (although the titular tribute 'Craft Werked' owes more to Fugazi), while 'Bachelor Pad' nods to Sonic Youth and 'Ghost Patrol' combines Trail of Dead shouting with, even more surprisingly, sprightly post-rock a la El Hombre Trajeado. 'Suburban Jungle Sleeping Bag' is more Tortoise-wise, melding lounge-jazz with drum 'n' bass.
The scattershot drums and vocal samples can get tiresome, and The Kids may want some more choons, but it's still hard to see why this band don't get more recognition. When they're more telepahically experienced perhaps they'll receive more attention.
