Rasputina "Oh Perilous World" (Filthy Bonnet Recording Co.) Sounds like: If "Wisconsin Death Trip" was a musical. Grade: A-
Chamber-rock trio Rasputina's sixth studio album supplies listeners with complex, intellectual auditory stimulation. Subtitled "Selected Excerpts from the Finest Show that NEVER Was," "Oh Perilous World" is packaged as the sound track from a musical. Lead singer, cellist and songwriter Melora Creager thought she couldn't write about anything more bizarre than what was really going on in the world, so "Oh Perilous World" serves as a sound track to modern life.
Creager spent months compiling found text, like the translated Osama bin Laden speeches that ended up in the song "Champion." This is interwoven with the overall narrative of former first lady Mary Todd Lincoln as the queen of Florida. The result is a bizarre and often disturbing lyrical composition.
Despite such diverse sources of inspiration, "Oh Perilous World" is musically cohesive. Creager's cello dominates and provides an ominous backdrop for songs that cover everything from draconianism to the forced inscription of child soldiers in Africa.
Subtle, stylistic differences set the mood for each song. "Child Soldier Rebellion" begins with what sounds like fife and drum music and incorporates Bj?rk-like wailing that draws on the pain of a child soldier and invokes sympathy within the listener. "Incident in a Medical Clinic," the album's fourth track, almost feels like calliope music at times.
In an oddly ambitious effort, Rasputina's newest album distorts and envelops world events to create a sort of strange musical that can make listeners re-evaluate the absurdity of the world around them. To catch Rasputina live, check out their show at the 9:30 club this Sunday.
-KRISTEN POWELL
