Silicone Prairie - "My Life on the Silicone Prairie"
SILICONE PRAIRIE - “MY LIFE ON THE SILICONE PRAIRIE”
A long-time veteran of the KC’s exploding freak-out scene, Ian Teeple (Warm Bodies, The Fog, Natural Man Band, many others) brings us a fresh, meta-punk record from his new solo endeavor, Silicone Prairie. While one can trace influences ranging from past indie greats like Gang of Four, The Clean, Sebadoh to modern shakers like Uranium Club, Flasher, and Guerilla Toss - Silicone Prairie breaks free of any attempt to be cast in a concrete mold. Even the terms “punk” or “indie” are incredibly vague in describing the free-flowing, almost whimsical jaunts detailing Ian’s “Life on the Silicone Prairie”, which drifts between flowery hope and anxious obsession. “This will be the end times for us all!” proclaims the single, “America”, in an almost cartoonish voice, while disjointed guitars and keyboards cascade over tight-nit, driving hi-hats. The other single “Dance to the Beat” is a delightfully slinky and garage-y high-speed cruise through traffic that hammers itself into the far reaches of the psyche.
Perhaps the most standout quality of the record is Ian’s hyper-creative guitar passages that carry each song into a new and exciting territory. This allows for the exploration of rhythmic melodies and keyboard weirdness that frequently oozes through the seams in an array of colors. While the vocal manipulation can be somewhat distracting in parts, overall it adds a shimmer of unpredictability that makes for an intriguing and individualist interpretation of modern pop-crafting. The penultimate track, “Song for Patrick Cowley”, gives a brief, cosmic, pseudo-jazzy interlude before ending on the breezy, optimistic “Come Away” - which feels like a gentle kiss on the cheek as acoustic chords and chorus-laden guitars whisk us off into a dream.
Favorite Tracks: “Dance to the Beat, “America,” & “Come Away”
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Review by ::
Evan Herd
Manor Blog Contributor
Manor Records gives 100% of the article author rights to Evan Herd.