Artist: I Wrestled a Bear Once
Title: It’s All Happening
Type: Album
Label: Century Media

If you’re looking for a nice, quiet evening in, this wouldn’t be the ideal accompaniment. I suspect that it would be more relaxing to be peppered with a nail gun. Set to the background of brutal Death/Grind, the challenging “It’s All Happening” comes at you from all angles. Basically it’s music from the mental asylum. Even the horse neighing towards the end of the first track “You Ain’t no Family” seems normal in the context of what we’re listening to. This album, the first full release by the Americans, comes from the experimental, avant-garde world of Ephel Duath, Atrox and Akphaezya.

I like “It’s All Happening” for a number of reasons. It’s imaginative and keeps you on your toes but for all the apparent anarchy, it’s got clear musical structures and even consistency. In addition to the Death/Grind, which holds it together, there are funky jazz and industrial techno sections and then there’s the sweet and innocent voice of the female singer which through its pitch and distortion paradoxically evokes nightmares. The only thing to expect in the middle of all this is the unexpected. No single track sums it up as they’re all crafted into separate works of lunacy, but “Tastes like Kevin Bacon” gives a flavour (well, if they can use a pun, so can I). Here grind meets techno, before we encounter the soothing sound of the harp, and the chimes of what in the UK would be an ice-cream van. The atmosphere is decidedly sinister and grotesque. “The Cat’s Pyjamas” features the singer’s sweet voice screaming. It’s then as if the dolls in the toy shop are going to come alive. The merging of contrasts is the skill of this album. On the one hand, “See You in Shell” develops from epic grind to the torturing effect of a horror soundtrack, complete with the distant vocals, while on the earlier track “Pazuzu for the Win” the deathcore framework complements a pitter-pattering jazzy beat which is both pleasing and the prelude to the nightmarish “Black-Eyed Bush”, which is straight out of a dream world. The singer sounds distant. The image is of a vast chasm, yet there’s a fast beat and not for the first time, the drum has a funky quality. On the near-melodic “Danger in the Manger” fearsome Grind accompanies jazz/soca, while space invaders advance, before the track returns to its original “theme”. “Eli Cash vs The Godless Savages” takes us in yet another direction. It’s technical, another funky beat runs with the Death Metal guitar line, then finally we head off into an industrial dream world. There’s so much more. “It’s All Happening” is a very apt title.

I’ve really got into this album. There’s so much going on in terms of style and atmosphere that it’s inconceivable how it’s possible to grasp such apparent anarchy. I think that however mixed up and contrasting this Experimental Deathcore all is, each element is clearly defined and I really appreciated each atmosphere that I Wrestled A Bear Once create. Technically, it’s really well done, the attention to detail is great, and above all it’s real fun to listen to. I’ve never heard anything like this before. Maybe this is a reflection of my mental state, but I really enjoyed “It’s All Happening” and would recommend it to anyone who’s up for a wide-ranging musical adventure.

http://www.myspace.com/iwrestledabearonce
http://www.iwrestledabearonce.com
http://www.centurymedia.com

Andrew Doherty

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