Meanderthals
Desire Lines
Collaborations are rarely boring. The majority are exciting purely upon anticipation…wondering what different musicians from different backgrounds will come up with. The Idjut Boys and Rune Lindbaek of Oslo did just that on their album Desire Lines, under the name Meanderthals. A Meanderthal, according to Matthew Tiessen, is a human that is consistently in the way. A slow person who stops the regular flow of daily life. However, Meanderthals (the band) don’t see this is a bad thing, but rather a unique individual that is in their own world. Desire Lines is what this person is listening to on their iPod.
The album opens with “Kunst or Ars,” a song that awkwardly borrows the sound of old U2, but appropriates it through various other musical influences to create something that makes you say, “hey, that’s Meanderthals.” However, just like a meanderthals annoying switch of direction, this album makes a not-so-annoying switch to different sounds. “Androemda(Prelude to the Future)” has hints of 70s funk, psychedelic, disco, and even what one might describe as traditional bongo drumming.
With only seven songs, Meanderthals wanted to make sure this album captured everything they were hoping for. It certainly does, and with help from Pete Z, Des Morgan, Per Martinsen, and others, this collective effort came to win. The vast array of musical styles makes an otherwise mediocre album…a Meanderthal album.
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