Ink 19 reviews Do I Love America
Ink 19, December 1999
Music Reviews: David Lee Beowulf
Neat new effort from this professional linguist-fronted pop-Americana band. The first track, "Gossamer Riddle," sounds like someone spent a lot of time absorbing a lot of Peter Murphy's or other pop-goth-weird music, mixed in their own twangy guitar twist and viola! an addictive little puzzling ditty. "Olive Novel Love" is even crazier. It starts out pretty normal, with a guitar sound and vocal that says "midwest" for some reason to me. Then it's into this bizarre fuzzy, psychedelic guitar dervish that blew me away. "Sheep Are My Keeper" is a melodic pop song sung through a funnel. "Wisdom of the Boondocks" is a sick tune that's, well, in need of serious therapy. It's all confused fuzz and more funnel-ized vocals. Woosh! There's seven songs altogether on this mysterious release the last one, "Playful Robert," being particularly disturbing, like it's played on an old autoharp and washboard.