I'm living it up at a wild party, my mind is stoned into another dimension. But what really makes the high is the trippy, droning, psychedelic groove of The Lothars' new CD, Meet the Lothars. The opening track, "Dust Mah Space Broom," blows my mind with three stereo theremins, chasing each other around my head. Most impressive is that one of the theremins is actually playing a melody, rather than the expected psychedelic sound effects we so often hear from theremin players. There are no psychedelic lyrics, but the dreamy theremins convey more than words could ever. The combination of tremolo and flange in "Trem, Also" makes me dizzy, but in a good way. Topped off with a plastic monkey playing miniature clay theremins on the CD cover, I'm completely entranced.

Unfortunately, I'm not really at a party, I'm not even stoned, and all "Dust Mah Space Broom" sounds like is seven minutes of an unchanging chord. The first time I listened to Meet the Lothars I was asleep by the fifth song. Most of this music reminds me of what I come up with when I'm having an uninspired streak in my song writing. The only trace of drums and bass is the tapping of plastic cups, and on three songs there was supposedly a bass, but I can hardly even hear it. Isn't it a throbbing bass and pounding drums that drive rock and roll?!? I realize that to some this sound may be desirable, but to me it's simply boring. Listening to this CD is more of a chore than a pleasure. I think my copy of Meet the Lothars will be going directly into the "extra jewel boxes" pile.

(Izzy Maxwell)

Paradoxically, The Lothars were listed in the same issue, two pages later, at number 2 in "The Noise Top 10"!?!