The term "melting pot" has been used to describe the United States of America's citizens since the country's inception, so it comes as no surprise that those citizens should produce art that's equally "stew-like." David Adamson (aka Grampall Jookabox), not content with the usual lo-fi, art-folk templates of 21st century home recording, has unleashed a truly genre-defying beast with Ropechain, the Indiana native's first full-length for the Asthmatic Kitty label. Adamson's heady blend of Odelay-era Beck, Roky Erickson paranoia, cosmic hip-hop, and general Animal Collective weirdness sounds like a train wreck in print, but his knack for odd melodies, stealthy programming, timely pitch-shifting, and macabre (and occasionally hysterical) subject matter helps to keep things consistently interesting throughout Ropechain's easily digestible 45-minute runtime. Highlights like "Black Girls,""Ghost," "We Know We Might Be Fucked," and "I Will Save Young Michael" -- the young Michael in question is indeed a Jackson -- conjure up the image of a reclusive parapsychologist pawing at the walls for a light switch in the basement and coming up empty every time. It's both harrowing and funny, and it's a notion that a lot of long-winded, self-serving, home recording indie artists would do well to emulate.
- MUSIC REVIEWSFor many of the bands with whom Grampall Jookabox is likely to be compared, sonic experimentation is as much artifice as art, a mask to hide largely empty songs behind. It makes for easy infatuation, but tends to offer diminishing returns as the layers of sound are peeled back to reveal a vacuous core of meaningless gibberish. What places Ropechain , Grampall's second releas...
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Before our funkiest day slips away, slip into this comfy spot. Grampall Jukabox , from just one state to the west of me. Had him a nifty Uncle who nurtured his odd skills. the results are intriguing and seem to fit somewhere (albeit alternate dimension) on the Friday playlist.from the Asthmatic Kitty website:his latest effort finds him moving into new, unplumbed territories. Ropechain pinwheel...
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In 2008 Indianapolis, Indiana-bred musician David “Moose” Adamson, under the guise of Grampall Jookabox, released his sophomore LP ‘Ropechain,’ which proved to be one of the most ambitious, progressive, and just plain incredible records of the year.After remaining on my iPod since I got it I'm finally prepared to replace ‘Ropechain’ with the now Grampall-less Jookabox's next effort,
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One of my favorite records of 2008 is 'Ropechain' , the sophomore release from Indianapolis, Illinois' native Grampall Jookabox . I've been listening to it for months now and love it's hybridization of Hip-Hop, Folk, Punk, Indie-Rock, Psychedelia, Noise/Drone and Electronica. It finally hits stores next Tuesday, November 4th, and the rest of the music-buying public will finally get to love...
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- MUSIC REVIEWSFor many of the bands with whom Grampall Jookabox is likely to be compared, sonic experimentation is as much artifice as art, a mask to hide largely empty songs behind. It makes for easy infatuation, but tends to offer diminishing returns as the layers of sound are peeled back to reveal a vacuous core of meaningless gibberish. What places Ropechain , Grampall's second releas...
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--- - |- I haven't been able to stop playing Indianapolis, Indiana-based Folk-Hop-Punktronica dude Grampall Jookabox 's forthcoming sophomore LP 'Ropechain' since I got a copy of it last week. I already threw one of the standout tracks, "Black Girls," on last week's podcast. But the tune that caught my ear was a joint called "The Girl Ain't Preggers." You can get "The Girl Ain't Preggers...
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 "Ropechain")
