Playing like the demented lovechild of Soul Coughing and The Hold Steady, The Visitations' third album, The Conundrum Tree, is a welcomed addition to Orange Twin Records (Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power). Hailing from the psych pop capitol of Athens, Ga., The Visitations is a collaboration of local musicians and artists who have added personal touches to the musical musings of frontman/poet Davey Wrathgabar (Of Montreal's Derek Almstead, Jason NeSmith and Matt Hudgins are amongst the many players).
Pitted against a background of noisy electronics and acoustic guitar, Wrathgabar streams his subconscious through free-flowing, enigmatic lyrics. Keenly straddling gloom and humor with clever wordplay, Wrathgabar spits forth verses without pause:
"We make love just like a bowl of old spaghetti, somewhere between the heaven and the dirt. /So we ask ourselves all kinds of really stupid questions like: /what exactly is the knowledge of the meaning of life really even worth?"
When the microphone effects are switched off, Wrathgabar's spoken-singing is as powerfully raw as his lyrics. Despite tackling the subjects of divorce, rejection and absurdity, the electronic blips, feedback, echoes and instrumentals are able to generate a whimsical atmosphere. "It's just pain, but there's no reason to be ashamed. /You might sing a silly song… but it won't do you any good," Wrathgabar warbles to his audience in what may be the overlying theme of the album. A self-deprecating perspective, The Conundrum Tree's tracks prove far too insightful and unexpectedly accessible to ever be labeled as "silly."
--Kelsey Bryant [August 27, 2008]
