Umlaut - Umlaut - 2009 - "..Bigfoot is real."

The title to Umlaut's opening track, 'Kitty Puppy,' sums up the dichotomy that invigorates or plagues this album, depending on how you listen to it.

Let's take a look at what Umlaut has to offer: The album features influences of jazz, rock, circus music, Baroque, shoegaze, and trip hop. About half of the songs feature lyrics or some form of vocal textures. All but two of Umlaut's eleven tracks keep it under the four minute mark. And, even with its sonic schizophrenia, each song features accessible melodies that most listeners can engage and enjoy. Yet something was missing for me...

It gets better: Umlaut is fronted by Clinton "Bär" McKinnon, who played in Mr. Bungle, which was fronted by Mike Patton, whose constellation career has shined upon Faith No More, Tomahawk, and the Dillinger Escape Plan, to name a few. In fact, for fans of Mike Patton, Mr. Bungle, and especially, the Mr. Bungle album California, I would suggest reading no further and simply going out and buying this album. Oh, and if you haven't listened to it before, go out and buy California as well. Sadly, Umlaut's heritage may have pushed my expectations just a little too high, because this album simply did not impress me in the end.

I spent some time pondering my response to this album and the difficulty I faced trying to put my response into words. The best I could surmise is that for me, Umlaut's ambition and variety created a confluence that nullified its own virtue.  The album offers so much, yet the wonderful ideas found in Umlaut barely marinate without ever getting off of dead center. Maybe the songs needed to be longer. Maybe the album should have been all instrumental. Maybe Mike Patton should have sung for the entire album. The point for me is that Umlaut lacks direction, and I think that this aimless course eventually set my album experience adrift.

Umlaut ultimately eluded me, but I did manage to enjoy some of the album's high points. I also found it to be a good album to put on if I am ever in the mood to play something that's easy to ignore. For the curious types, be sure and check out 'Atlas Face' (thank you, Gen. Patton), and Dain Bramage, the album's closing track.  And, if you plan to go deeper, give the album the time and space it needs to grow...or meander.