CoC : Don Caballero - Don Caballero 2 : Review

Don Caballero - _Don Caballero 2_
(Touch & Go, 1995)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)

Don Caballero are a semi-mysterious band (not a guy) from Pennsylvania. The packaging of this disc resembles the music, being minimal: all that is listed in the liner notes are song titles, band members, a contact address, and some production credits. The music is probably best described as "an instrumental Neurosis crossed with Primus and touches of Voivod." This description is a little misleading, as the bass playing is definitely not the focal point, though it is solid. Their overall sound is reminiscent of Neurosis, with similar guitar tones, long songs (4 of the 8 songs clock in at around 10 minutes), simplistic guitar riffs, and repetitive and slow-moving compositions. The music is occasionally heavier, more metallic, and more dissonant than Neurosis, bringing to mind the most recent offering by Voivod. The songs feature a similar weirdness to Primus, as do the song titles, such as "please tokio, please THIS IS TOKIO", "P,P,P antless", and "Dick Suffers Is Furious With You". The guitar work is similar to what you'd expect from Primus with two guitar players, though not as noodley. The playing is not very precise, usually pretty loose and sloppy, and at times sounds out of tune. The production doesn't help this either, as it is rather noisy, and not too flattering. The drumming is the highlight of this album. This guy gives new meaning to the term "overplaying." He sounds for long stretches as if he's soloing, keeping the music interesting as the guitars play the same monotonous, minimalistic riffs. Parts of this are excellent, but some parts really drag (some bordering on noise). This is at least original and refreshing, though it still has room for improvement.

(article published 9/6/1996)

ALBUMS
3/14/1999	B Meloon	8	Don Caballero - Singles Breaking Up (Vol. 1)
7/8/1998	B Meloon	7	Don Caballero - What Burns Never Returns