h o m e
All-Music Guide (Web, USA)
September 2004
JOE TURNER: Between Two Seconds
Camera Obscura Records (CAM067CD)
Ex-Abunai! drummer Joe Turner's first solo move was discreet: a
self-released CD-R EP entitled "Dollar Star". "Between Two Seconds"
contains the seven songs released on that EP, plus four more, and
constitutes his official full-length solo debut. The album requires
some getting used to. It's not that it is difficult (far from it,
actually) or poorly recorded (on the contrary, impressive production),
but Turner's songs tend to remain in the background on first
listen. Only after a few listens does "Between Two Seconds" open up
its thick arrangements to let you in. The melodies and lyrics are
often slightly too 'psychedelic pop/rock' generic to make a strong
impression, but what saves the album and empowers it with a good
replay value are the consistency of the songwriting (not a single bad
track) and the richness of the arrangements. A multi-instrumentalist
himself, Turner also brought in a number of friends in the studio,
including ex-Olivia Tremor Control Bill Doss, ex-Abunai! guitarist
Brendan Quinn and Turkish Queen flutist Ajda Snyder. If these fine
musicians add specific touches to specific songs, what reigns on this
album is Turner's resourcefulness in the studio: from miking
techniques for the drums to vocal effects, from guitar pedals to synth
patches, each song offers a new sound palette and every listen brings
forth a different shade, a guitar track previously gone unnoticed,
etc. In the end, songs like "When Will You Wake Up?", "Turn Me Upside
Down" and "Perfect the First Time" make their nest in your brain and
you start wondering why "Between Two Seconds" didn't hit you
hard the first time around. It does lack devastating hooks, killer
guitar solos or mind-expanding lyrics. But Turner can and does turn up
a honest, potent and pleasant collection of psychedelic rock songs.
Francois Couture
Rock