One can see a lot from a secluded bedroom, even with the blinds closed. That's the paradox at the heart of the bleak, beautiful recordings F.M. Cornog alter-ego East River Pipe has conjured up in the confines of his Queens... more » apartment for a decade. And while his determinedly singular methods have garnered that most left-handed of complimentary alt.rock tags--"lo-fi"-- there's a beautiful, understated opulence to every track here, tribute to Cornog's laconic pop sense and growing prowess with his faithful mini-studio. More importantly, Pipe's unique interior vista encompasses considerably more than his own hard-knocks résumé, from puzzled meditations on the old-cash class ("Where Does All the Money Go?," "Millionaires of Doubt") to litanies of free-floating dysfunction ("Monumental Freaks") and romantic deconstructions ("I Won't Dream About the Girl," "Girl On the Freeway"). Yet his troubled past can't help but deepen the shadows of "The Long Black Cloud," a nigh-perfect lament that sounds like it's been in permanent rotation on a jukebox in some dank, Lynchian roadhouse, or the detached, chilling impressionism of "I Bought a Gun in Irvington" and fade-away fatalism of the closing "It's Always Been This Way." In an age of oppressive pre-fab pop conformity, Cornog's a bracing reminder of the potential of a single, determined heart-- even when it doesn't get out much. --Jerry McCulley« less
One can see a lot from a secluded bedroom, even with the blinds closed. That's the paradox at the heart of the bleak, beautiful recordings F.M. Cornog alter-ego East River Pipe has conjured up in the confines of his Queens apartment for a decade. And while his determinedly singular methods have garnered that most left-handed of complimentary alt.rock tags--"lo-fi"-- there's a beautiful, understated opulence to every track here, tribute to Cornog's laconic pop sense and growing prowess with his faithful mini-studio. More importantly, Pipe's unique interior vista encompasses considerably more than his own hard-knocks résumé, from puzzled meditations on the old-cash class ("Where Does All the Money Go?," "Millionaires of Doubt") to litanies of free-floating dysfunction ("Monumental Freaks") and romantic deconstructions ("I Won't Dream About the Girl," "Girl On the Freeway"). Yet his troubled past can't help but deepen the shadows of "The Long Black Cloud," a nigh-perfect lament that sounds like it's been in permanent rotation on a jukebox in some dank, Lynchian roadhouse, or the detached, chilling impressionism of "I Bought a Gun in Irvington" and fade-away fatalism of the closing "It's Always Been This Way." In an age of oppressive pre-fab pop conformity, Cornog's a bracing reminder of the potential of a single, determined heart-- even when it doesn't get out much. --Jerry McCulley
"Este es el mejor disco que he escuchado en muchísimo tiempo. Todas y cada una de las canciones son excelentes. Unas melodías increíbles y unas letras inteligentísimas y críticas que describen una América diferente a la que vemos en las grandes producciones de Hollywood. Y por si todo esto fuera poco todo lo ha creado un sólo tipo en un mini estudio en su casa. Quiero todos sus discos."
One of the Best Albums of 2003
02/18/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Seeing as how Garbageheads On Endless Stun is the first East River Pipe release I've purchased, perhaps I come to the reviewer's podium with fewer preconceptions than some of the previous pundits. Musically, this album rates up there with another 2003 gem, Rufus Wainwright's Want One. F.M. Cornog, who is East River Pipe, sets up most of his compositions on smooth, dark beds of synth chords, similar to "More Than This"/"Avalon"-era Roxy Music, or Springsteen's "Streets Of Philadelphia". Electric guitars shimmer, glow and poke their heads out momentarily, then disappear. Drum machines click, beep and snap in the reverby mix. Philip Glass-like codas end "Stare The Graveyard Down" and "I Bought A Gun In Irvington". Neil Young haunts the country-ish "The Long Black Cloud". The spirits of Brian Wilson and Todd Rundgren inhabit the chords of "Where Does All The Money Go". Over all though, the bands that East River Pipe remind me of the most are the contemporary rock bands The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. But the subject matter in an East River Pipe song is generally a darker affair than the Lips or Rev. These songs are full of greedy Enron know-nothings, streetwalking teenage girls, passively suicidal priests, "slobs in SUVs", powerless young thugs with guns, and pot-smoking burnouts. A consistently grim, fatalistic vision. East River Pipe seems to be saying one thing with the music, and a nearly opposite thing with the lyrics. It's as if Lou Reed re-wrote the words to The Beach Boys' "Surfer Girl". This tug-of-war between the light and the dark, the ugly and the beautiful, the tangible and the unattainable is what makes this one of the better releases of 2003."
Darkly Glowing Chamber Pop
Lee P. | Cambridge, Mass. | 09/24/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"2003's "Garbageheads On Endless Stun" seems like a slightly darker sister-album to East River Pipe's 1995 offering "Poor Fricky". Lyrically, "Garbageheads" possesses an ever-present fatalism, a trapped feeling. Millionaires coldly stare down from penthouse offices, while gun-toting punks, 19 year old hookers, torch-carrying lovers, freeway hitchhikers, and suicidal peachers all struggle below. Not a happy cast. But what makes this album (and all the earlier East River Pipe releases) work so well, is the FRICTION between the lyrics and the MUSIC. The music seems to CONSPIRE AGAINST the lyrical content of the songs, creating great contrast, shimmering sparks and dark beauty. Guitars twinkle, synth-beds warmly glow, and F.M. Cornog's slightly ragged/slightly off-pitch voice floats by. This is shadowy chamber pop of the highest order."
Five excellent CDs in a row
12/10/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"At first I was not thrilled with the 5th ERP release, having very high expectations, but it has gotten better and better with repeated listenings. True, Cornog's amazing guitar work is not showcased here and that is too bad. However, the songs all work, every one, and the moodiness and poignancy is of the highest order. I actually like this better than Gasoline Age and on par with Fricky and Shining. In sum, you would be hard pressed to find a better CD this year. Clearly deserves 5 stars."