I heard the band One Ring Zero earlier this month on NPR's Fresh Air. Regular readers will recall my affection for the full range of plinky-plink music from the products one can receive in plain wrapped packaging from Electron in Toronto to the works of They Might Be Giants. What fits attacted me to the band during the interview was the attention to instrumentation - indeed members of the band met at the Hohner harmonica warehouse and instrument repair facility in Richmond Virginia and formed the band after the utter market failure of the claviola, an instrument which was reproduced only 17 times. Adding theramin, toy piano and other freaks at the back of the music closet, they sought to both preserve and explore.

Getting the CD As Smart As We Are in itself was a smal task as it is not a CD according to Amazon but a book as it is hard bound. I don't know why in 20 years of CDs whether anyone has placed one and the lyrics in a small hardbound book before but it is neat. Then there is the short intro, a recording of a 1980s shortwave identification signal [300 KB .wma file] - a sound loop shortwave stations played over and over before their half hour broadcasts so that you could find them on the dial easily. I think this is Deutsche Welle from West Germany. I knew I was among friends. The CD is described as "Lit Rock" in the liner notes being a collection of the setting to music of 17 poems. It is good. Here is the treatment of one haiku entitled "Honku" by Aaron Naparstek [441 KB .wma file]. Its only 27 seconds long but it will give you an idea.

As always with my reviews of the art of others where I pinch off a bit of their copyrighted interest and share it among you, I implore you to buy this CD, run it up the charts and make the late summer of 2004's Billboard charts look weird forever.

Cross-posted to the-growing-but-needing-more-authors-Canadian-music-blog Switching to Glide.