Search - michael Webster :: Lotus Festival

A fine entry in the Artpop tradition

Gaby Alter | Berkeley, CA USA | 01/21/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"No, not Yes---I mean the Beach Boys and the Beatles, the great studio bands that pushed the envelope of the 3.5 minute pop format. Lotus Festival's Brian Wilson-esque falsettos, counterpoint harmonies, and gentle psychedelic sensibility certainly recall the works of the two big B's. But Webster clearly has his own vision, a less commercial but still accessible one. The album divides itself into catchy, traditionally structured songs and avant-pop pieces filled with abrupt time signature and melodic changes. Standouts include the title cut, which has a dreamy, complicated melody line and beatiful cello part, and "Berkeley High School", a cocked-eyebrow paean to Sgt Peppers' drug of choice, with an inescapable chorus hook and lyric ("LSD, makes me feel wonderful, makes me feel so free, baby.") Many of the other pieces--whose lyrics include poems by John Ashcroft, Langston Hughes and William Carlos Williams--meet the challenge of setting such high literary work to pop music, rewarding the listener with a complicated and daring exploration of pop's possibilities."

Perfect for a Lazy Day

Kate Thomas | Grand Juntion, CO USA | 07/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Michael Webster has a type of musical genius that I believe is underestimated. His music has a sense of greatness and rebellion all rolled into one. It's the perfect music for a lazy day where you can go out to the park with you head phones, watch the clouds and listen. His voice is very mellow, and has a boy-next-door texture that's hard to ignore, but easy to love. I've had this cd for well over two years now, and still listen to it at least once a week. Nothing has lasted longer in my cd case except the Grateful Dead."

Rare, powerful, serious, delight...

Kate Thomas | 04/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a total revelation. It portrays a vivid, emotional landscape. When I listen to it, I can see the fountain at Echo Park stirring discarded bread bags and scruffy ducks to the fringe of the lake. The music is hypnotic and challenging. A mix of familiar styles stretched to their boundaries and beyond. The lyrics are a seductive puzzle of onion skins to be peeled and repeeled without ever losing their depth. If you are a musician or a lover of sophisticated work, you will thank me for recommending this CD and praise Mr. Webster for making it for us. Innovative, ingenious compostitions informed by simple images and cuture-flags. If you're highly entertained by high-art and beauty, go ahead and hit the "order" button now..."