Search - Trevor Tanner :: Bullish (Bullish, Bellyache & Belch) Volume 1

MediaPlus Magazine Review

Emperor Penguin Recordings | Bristow, VA United States | 06/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Back in the day when music mattered, when bands spent countless hours writing, recording, rethinking and generally putting their souls into every ounce of musical concoction, there was a goth-pop ensemble, The Bolshoi, slithering in and out of pubs, mystifying the audience with their wit and vigor. But all good things end - or do they? Now, fifteen years later, fearless leader, Trevor Tanner has emerged from a briny sea filled with open-wound irritating acts. Via a submarine of sorts that can also sail the ocean's surface and miraculously enough, can even take to the skies, Tanner stands in front of the mast, holding a tube of ointment labeled: open-wound quick-fix. Bullish, the first volume of three (available alone or in a beautimus, 3-CD collective) is the dark, obscure, sinister volume of a vast, three-part, sonic adventure. With morbid tracks like the opening, "Hero Comes Home," Tanner retains the gloomy vibe of The Bolshoi, while adding in new tone elements that are obviously bouncing, frantically inside his skull, while seeping through tiny, hairline cracks. Almost Pink Floydish on tracks like, "Driftwood" and the finale, "Shine," Bullish canvases room for Tanner's fancy guitar-work, evident on the rockier, "Overdriver" and the calm, self-reflective "Life's A Beach." There's even more diversity on the volume when "Filthy And Twisted" blazes forth with its own demented tactics. Truly a songwriting genius, Tanner may have been out of the limelight for a chunk of time but he's back, with the utmost of strength and an over 40 song, diverse as hell, three-volume boxed set - ready to stun. Good lord, my good man."