THE LOTHARS (USA)

Connected
Wobbly Music CD-R

What other band provides this kind of service — to appear at Terrastock 5 and to have a new album recorded just that week! For the most part, one track was done a month before. But that's the magic of CDRs, and the Lothars' latest effort only came out as a run of 50 disks, so beg borrow and steal for one of these if the desire is there. As it should be, since the band has agreeably mutated into a rare beast indeed. Part of it is because they've now got a sometimes vocalist in Ramesh Srinivasan, a friendly feller and a half who adds odd, strange wordless singing deep enough in the mix that a good chuck of the time it's not clear if that's him singing or some other instrument. Meanwhile, the lineup itself plays everything from violin and hammered dulcimer to guitars along with the theremins that have helped the band make its name. All four songs are nearly a quarter of an hour long and follow the same basic course of improvisational experimentation, a dreamy and often narcotic blend of styles.

NR