Strange Attractors

by U Totem, James Grigsby

Overview

Of all of James Grigsby's productions, whether it is with the Motor Totemist Guild or U Totem, Strange Attractors is the work he will be remembered for. This album, weaved on a complex story line jumping back and forth from 1957 to 1985 to 2012, contains some of the best music avant-prog had to offer in 1990s. The lineup for this album is mostly Sanjay Kumar (keyboards), David Kerman (drums), Eric Johnson (bassoon), Emily Hay (flute, singing), Steve Cade (guitar), and Grigsby (guitar, bass, computer, tapes), with a few guests. The music takes the complexity and symphonic side of Canterbury progressive rock and perverts it in a Henry Cow meets Art Zoyd kind of way, blending into it free improv and atonal classical music elements. Although very complex and hard to get into, Strange Attractors remains a rock record (unlike some of Motor Totemist Guild's later works). The playing is stellar, surprises abound, the more avant-gardist pieces ("Daikon Batake") being balanced by high-octane prog rock numbers ("No Mo Ippon"). "Ginger Tea" and "Another Ginger Tea" are two of the most accomplished pieces of progressive rock's most avant-gardist ensembles, turning this album into a classic.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/1995
Label:	Cuneiform
UPC:	0045775006628
catalogNumber:	750066
Rank:	133260

Tracks

1. No Mo Ippon
2. Daikon Batake
3. Ginger Tea
4. Another June Sky
5. Karucha Shokku
6. January Sky
7. Purple Smoke
8. Tipps' 911
9. Agent White Fox
10. Chen's Gate
11. Postcard
12. Redski
13. Another Ginger Tea

Album Credits

Performance Credits

U Totem   Primary Artist
James Grigsby   Guitar,Bass Guitar,Spoken Word
Emily Hay   Flute,Piccolo,Vocals
Dave Kerman   Percussion,Drums
Sanjay Kumar   Piano,Keyboards,Spoken Word
Curt Wilson   Vocals
Lynn Johnston   Clarinet,Saxophone,Zurna
Eric Johnson   Bassoon
Laurel Harris   Spoken Word
Steve Cade   Guitar
Gerard Herrara   Hi Hat
Kaori Kuboniqa   Vocals

Technical Credits

James Grigsby   Graphic Design,Drawing
Tom Watson   Feedback
Curt Wilson   Engineer
Tipps   Producer
Nigel Wilson   Contributor