There are some albums and other musical epochs that, through their innate eccentricity, retain an underlying feeling of modernity long after their chronological heyday. Let's hypothetically assume for a moment that Kraftwerk originated in 2000 rather than 1970; we'll have Thrill Jockey release their masterpiece, Autobahn, give John McEntire engineering credits, follow it up with a North American tour backing German brethren Mouse on Mars and then read the new cover story in Revolution (That hurts -- Ed.) about how this landmark IDM group has taken the melodic aesthetics of Autechre and fused them with the bedroom sampling of µ-Ziq to create a sound as magnificently simplistic as it is groundbreakingly prescient.
Daevid Allen's University of Errors may not fall under the electronic robot pop dichotomy, but it hails from another genre of absurdist perspectives and consciously spastic freak-outs -- psychedelia. Allen, as some of you are hopefully aware, was a founding member of both Prog/Art-Rock purveyors Soft Machine and New York psychedelic wizards Gong; E2 X 10 = tenure, his second album with backing band The University of Errors (members of San Francisco psychedelic band Mushroom), continues along the same incomprehensible path as previous projects.
The disc opens with "Iced Tea Overture", which assails the listener with a cacophonous assault of guitars and reverb, overlaying a monotonous beat that makes the track listenable. It would fit well in a more melodic take on the Sonic Youth SYR series. The first taste of melody doesn't come until the fifth track. "Olde Guitar Body O'Mine" is the album's high-point, into which the band weaves a meandering three minute guitar solo without once seeming gaudy or obtuse.
The rest of the album progresses in a similar style: the improvisational space-rock undertone and disjointed lyrics fade in and out of dizzying atonal brilliance, mortifyingly inane dirges and plain old pretentious shit.
Whatever your opinion of E2 X 10 = tenure, most will agree that it falls into a genre not exactly known for its accessibility. The fact that records exactly like this one have been made and remade by countless bands over the last 35 years doesn't diminish its propensity for visionary flourishes on a par with Soft Machine's most esoteric efforts. While the trip from track one to track nine is a difficult journey to make in one sitting, E2 X 10 = tenure works actively -- even aggressively -- against boredom and blandness. Give it time, and it will reward you with some of the most interesting songs of the year...though whether that year is 1967 or 2001, I'm not certain...
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