If ever there was an album that “defies categorization”, Tony Arnold’s “Ophidian Lullabies” is one. It is a virtual patchwork of diverse styles, genres, and influences, blended in unexpected ways. The CD’s first piece, appropriately titled “Precursor”, opens with an ambient synthesizer arpeggio, eventually adding a background of strings and the sound of running water. It’s an instrumental dreamscape leaning towards the minimalist style of Philip Glass. The second track switches gears dramatically into a prog rocker with symphonic overtones. By prog (short for progressive) I’m referring to a style first popularized in the 70’s by groups like Emerson, Lake, & Plamer, Genesis, King Crimson, etc. The song rocks hard till about half way through when it downshifts into a more sparse instrumental section featuring guitar and bells, and echoes the melodic theme of the first section, adding instruments as it evolves.
On a tune called “Robert Emmet” the music provides another stylistic departure with an instrumental that has somewhat of an Irish or Celtic feel. The next track, “That Still Small Voice” offers an interesting juxtaposition in that it’s got an upbeat pop-inflected melody in contrast to the somewhat darker lyrics. Perhaps a term like “pop noir” would be appropriate. Tony who has a deep voice and a vocal style, which is sometimes half sung and half spoken seems influenced by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, or maybe Frank Zappa. This song is followed by “Daddy’s Ballad” which offers another mix of musical ingredients. Heavy fuzz-drenched guitars lay the foundation for a spoken word vocal with a country feel, while a new wave-like synth melody line dances over the top of it.
From there, the next tune reflects back to the kind of ambient soundscape heard on the opening piece. Track eight, “Agendas” has a distant melancholy feel that reminded me somewhat of the style of Roger Waters from Pink Floyd, and features a lush orchestral background. Moving along, the ninth song kicks off with a rolling drum groove followed by spoken word vocals with some very trippy electronic effects. This piece in particular gave me the reference to Zappa.
“Progression” which makes a grand cinematic entrance for the first minute or so morphs into a country-tinged pop tune, eventually building back to an orchestral climax. The longest track on the CD at almost eleven minutes, “The Cottonmouth Crawl” is perhaps the most musically adventurous. It features a foreboding synth intro blending with an Eastern-sounding instrument giving way to a driving drum rhythm and heavy multi-tracked guitars that harken back to the afore-mentioned prog rock. This instrumental leaves psychedelic trails as it winds its way through a variety of thematic permutations.
As will be obvious by now, if one is looking for an album to put on that sets a mood and doesn’t stray, this is not it. On the contrary, it is truly a genre-blending exercise in musical diversity.
Reviewed By Michael Diamond
