Post by Chris on Dec 19, 2008 3:06:10 GMT -5
I have been trying to spread the word about Feeling Cavalier just because I think it is such a great album and that it deserves to be noticed. I have posted reviews anywhere I can, but the one I feel I did my best writing on is at the Barnes And Noble site. I broke it down song by song and gave my true opinion of them. music.barnesandnoble.com/Feeling-Cavalier/Ebn-Ozn/e/664140031920/
My EBN OZN journey began 24 years ago. One late night I saw a video that touched me with its' compassion and warmth and shook me with its' raw intensity. I wrote down the name of the band so I could look for it later. However, I lost the paper, and life got in the way.
Sixteen or so years later I found that paper. At first I had no idea what it was, then I recalled it was a group I liked. My search for them went fruitless.
On to 2001. An internet search only yielded the information that Ned Liben, sadly, died in 1998. I could find nothing more. On to the back burner they went again.
Earlier this year while posting vacation photos, on a whim I looked up EBN OZN, and there were the videos for Bag Lady (I Wonder) and AEIOU Sometimes Y. I watched both, and the US shaped guitar in Bag Lady was what tripped my memory. Literally, after more than half my life, I found the video that had made such a huge impression on me.
I purchased the CD in July and my life has not been the same. Feeling Cavalier has broken down the walls I didn't even know were there and made me excited about music again.
Bag Lady (I Wonder) is a hard driving, straight out rock song that addresses the serious problem of homelessness. The lyrics show tremendous heart on the parts of Robert "OZN" Rosen and Ned "EBN" Liben. Musically, it lays the foundation for the rest of the CD, which is a very eclectic mix of electronica, rock, dance, new wave, salsa, African rythyms and much more. Fans of electronic music would be interested to know that this was the first album recorded entirely on a CMI Fairlight.
Stop Stop Give It Up is a combination love letter/farewell to the 60's and 70's. References are made to Tangerine Dream, The Beatles, John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix. It always brings out my hippie side.
I Want Cash is funny and practical. It sounds autobiographical, but I don't know how much of it is. Many people will be able to relate to the struggle to make ends meet. I know I certainly do.
Kuchenga Pamoja is a well written allegory with a fantastic African beat. It tells the story of a brave little ant battling the forces of nature to get his food home.
TV Guide is a hilarious take on Gregorian chant as it pays tribute to the arbitor of all that is televised.
Video DJ is the only song I can live with or without. The music - heavily salsa influenced - is good, but the lyrics just don't quite work. However, there is a Kajagoogoo moment that is quite funny.
Pop Art Bop is a fun and energetic odyssey. Robert Ozn shows off his emerging rapping skills. (Which were later demonstrated with his other group, Dada Nada.)
Rockin' Robin is a cover like no other. Bizarre, trippy and loads of fun. Probably the least electronic. Lots of great guitar and piano work.
AEIOU Sometimes Y may be the one they are best known for. Trippy music, stream-of-conscious lyrics, partially rapped, partially sung...and a lesson in linguistics. "There are 178 parent languages on the planet with over 1000 dialects. It's amazing we communicate at all."
The Dawn is a brief instrumental and the perfect end to the near perfect album. Any child of the 80's should have this treasure.