IRENE MOON/ORTHO - Split

Though the term musical theater often conjures uphorrific images of over-acting and lifes foibles resolved in song form, theres no inherent evil in theconcept of combining the two. Lexington, Kentuckys Auk Theater offer simple pantomimes with cartoonish props, set to a soundtrack that combines a warped aural accompaniment with diegetic effects that act as guides for the narrative. Irene Moon, the groups founder, takes everyday activities and social interactions (in this case, a visit to the dentist), magnifying the absurd and surreal, to create her otherworldly scenes. On her side of this 7-¢?¬ù, a split picture disc with New Yorks Ortho, one must imagine the visual aspects of -¢??Auk Dentist-¢?¬ù as clued by the music, though, with Moons penchant for the weaving of samples, electronic noises, and isolated vocal recordings, its hard to pinpoint exactly what could be happening. A ringing phone, the ominous sound of the drill, and a voice-over from what was probably a high school psychology filmstrip offer clues, but, in the end, the music neednt rely on the story, and Moons psychedelic pastiche remains just as hypnotic in its purely aural form. Ortho, capitalizes, it seems, on Moons love of entomology, with their contribution to the disc, with plenty of buzzing and flittering sound. Its not hard to imagine the music as the magnified sounds of insects, with the rapid flapping of wings, scurrying feet, and probing antennae. Ortho demonstrates how humans would benefit by behaving more like insects-¢?¬ù is a title thats almost longer than the groups side of the slab, but its a useful guide when it comes to listening to Orthos buggy noise." - Adam Strohm (FakeJazz).