Genre: Experimental / Psychedelic Rock / Electronic

CD I
01 Be That Charge
02 Jokin' Joe
03 Hydraulic Bugger
04 Funhouse
05 Spinal Unwinda
06 When She Watches Television
07 Echo Base
08 Scaccia Pensieri

CD II
01 Be That Charge Agin'
02 E-Freeme Buzzbomb
03 Sapphire Wave
04 Sister Marble Gazer

CD III
01 Hand It All Over
02 Descent Into Basecloud
03 My Eye That Sighs
04 The Breeder Belt Tar Hogs
05 Unwound'N'Unbound
06 Pea Pods Plasma Square
07 Spike Saw N' Gong
08 Hilarious Craterworm Mascot

Earthmonkey is the project of Peat Bog, who has been involved in various musical projects spanning multiple styles since the early nineties. The first official release under the name Earthmonkey was Audiosapien, released by Beta-lactam Ring Records in 2003. Earthmonkey have released two albums between Audiosapien and their newest release Be That Charge; this, their fourth release is my introduction to this band.

Having read the band info I did not know what to expect as Pete Bog has had such wide-ranging influences and musical experiences from psychedelic rock, to collaborating on multiple Nurse With Wound releases, and performing in a punk band. The music on Be That Charge definitely reflects Pete Bog’s wide array of influences as well as his own unique elements.

Be That Charge is an extremely difficult album to review, given that 1) there are three discs of material to listen to and 2) the music is so varied in style and presentation. To simply write a brief sentence or two describing Be That Charge in its entirety would be impossible. The first two discs are the core of the release and do share somewhat of a common sound. While so many of the songs vary in their style, there are still enough similar qualities between the material spread over the first two CD’s that enables them to be reviewed together as one.

I could almost write a song-by-song review of the first two discs, as there is such a constantly changing and morphing style from song to song; instead, I will highlight a couple of the songs that display the contrasts in styles that can be found within the music on Be That Charge.

Be That Charge, the opening track, kicks off the album with an upbeat, energy-infused hybrid of rock and metal with a Middle Eastern feel. Yes I said Middle Eastern feel, albeit a very modern and guitar driven approach. Be That Charge bounces back and forth between a catchy Middle Eastern sounding tune played in a solo-type style on the guitar, and rock / metal riffs that move higher and higher up the fret board, establishing a frenzied feel and pace; this creates a stark contrast between the two pieces that comprise the majority of the song. Though not particularly decipherable, Be That Charge contains vocals throughout the entire song, which many of the other tracks on the album do not. This is a good opening song and does well to showcase the diversity found within the music on Be That Charge.

When She Watches Television is a catchy, modern-sounding rock song – and I love it! Great guitar and drums keep a steady beat going while solid, effect-filled vocals weave in and out of the music. The guitar makes heavy use of a pedal, creating at times a swirling, constantly shifting sound. Multiple guitars layer overtop of each other throughout, blending together to keep the solid rhythm going. Easily the catchiest song on the entire album, When She Watches Television will surely have you humming its tune long after it is done.

Sapphire Wave is pure psychedelic experimentalism complete with reversed samples, noises, and drums; drifting, dissonant voices; electronic sampling and experimentation; crazed jazz saxophone; and solid bass lines. Sapphire Wave casually starts off, slowly drifting and working its way through all the aforementioned styles and sounds, taking the listener on an acid-based journey of sound. Though surely there is heavy influence from the 60s and 70s bands that started this style, Sapphire Wave still achieves a very modern sound. Pete Bog has managed to add enough of his own - and newer – influences, so that the music doesn’t just sound like someone directly copying what has been done in the past.

Some versions of Be That Charge (and the version I received) contain a third disc entitled Discobalistic that has its own feel again from the two CD’s that actually make up the album. Discobalistic contains eight tracks, which for all intents and purposes, can basically be viewed as one track since the transitions from song to song are seamless. The eight songs on Discobalistic go through a myriad of changes and once again, cannot be classified as one particular style. Overall, I would say this CD has a more modern experimental / electronic feel than the first two CD’s.

Descent Into Basecloud is probably the only song where guitar is by far the most prominent instrument, which is a noticeable departure from the other material previously mentioned where guitar is so often a driving force in the songs. That’s not to say there is no guitar on the other seven tracks of Discobalistic, but it is definitely minimal and used more as one of the many sounds within any given song. As I said, Discobalistic is much more electronic with trippy beats underlying many of the songs; never prominent, but blending with the various distorted, random samples that fill so many of these tracks. The last half of this disc has a very sci-fi like feel to the music, taking the listener on a journey through uncharted territory. Sometimes the music is serene, and at other times boisterous; but it is always interesting and will keep you listening. Discobalistic is an interesting disc and is a nice companion to the 2 CD’s worth of music normally supplied if you can get this limited version.

Be That Charge is definitely an interesting music experience that will not be for everyone. Earthmonkey’s music covers so many styles that only the most open-minded individuals will like this. Without a doubt, the music is largely based on psychedelic influences and all that that entails. If you only like one genre of music or two and are unable to move outside of those rigid bounds, Be That Charge is definitely not for you. If, on the other hand, you are looking for something different or can appreciate music of almost any form, I would say give this a try. With so much variety between songs, there is surely something here for the experimental music lover.