Unsigned: Rimzilmoon

Record: Cascade 95 demo cd

Contact: http://www.rimzilmoon.com/

Omaha, Nebraska, a landlocked city in the heart of the Great Plains, is about as close to the geographic centre of the US as you can get.  Far removed from the traditionally urban centres of culture and all things hip, it�s not exactly the rock capital of America, but it seems to have provided Rimzilmoon with all of the inspiration he�s needed.  It�s not a hugely varied or experimental album, but Rimzilmoon is taking some big risks.  Namely, playing with real emotion, a lost art in an age of ironic rock and a tendency toward beat-oriented music.

Though it might sound like a more fitting name for a band, Rimzilmoon is actually the singer and bassist of this rock trio.  Incorporating elements of jangle pop and prog rock into most of the songs on Cascade 95 and playing them with the energy and interplay of a great jam band, Rimzilmoon creates music that will appeal to the heart before connecting at an intellectual level, much like the Dave Matthews Band (minus the glossy production) or Poi Dog Pondering.  All of the songs on Cascade 95 have an immediate feeling to them, and given the excellent musicianship of Rimzilmoon, guitarist Andy Lennig and drummer Tim Osten they could well have been recorded in one take.  But making sure that musicianship never takes precedence over the song, the playing is loose and often deliberately gritty-sounding, adding an extra edge to the album.

Rimzilmoon�s bass playing is reminiscent of Peter Hook�s, often taking the lead and forming the melody of the song.  Punctuating his delivery with assorted whoops, growls and occasional nonsensical shouts, he is not a remarkable vocalist but is believable and convincing.  Writing personal yet uncontrived lyrics helps too, and though his songs about love, desire and regret tread familiar ground, they refrain from tearful self-loathing and tired angst.  A Nirvana influence becomes clear on the album�s final track, �Piggy Back Ride�, which matches �Negative Creep� in both volume and dissonance. Like Nirvana, Rimzilmoon employs simple melodies and chord patterns, but arranges them into unconventional shapes.  When his bass isn�t pounding away a funky melody, it�s buried behind Lennig�s guitar, which seems to be connected to a chorus pedal without an �off� switch for most of the album.  Tim Osten�s drumming is loud and up-front, and gives a real urgency to the ten tracks on Cascade 95.

Rimzilmoon�s sound isn�t easily categorized, but its ambiguity gives it a quality that could appeal to a broad range of listeners.  �Blood� could have been a B-side from The Police�s Ghost in the Machine, and �September Fool� borrows (steals?) the riff from the Smashing Pumpkins� �Drown�.  Fortunately he doesn�t try to copy the Pumpkins� droning feedback solo, but Rimzilmoon isn�t averse to a little self-indulgence of his own.  On the eight and a half minute �Winter Dress�, the band improvises over the second half of the song, starting with nothing but a drum beat and building towards a progressive rock collage of blues and funk.  It�s not overwhelming, but analyzing it misses the point.  It�s a fun trip.  Like living in Nebraska, having room to roam isn�t a bad thing if you know your way around.

Joe Niemczyk