Exploded View

On Exploded View, Granfaloon Bus does anything but explode. Rather, this alt-country/Americana quartet from San Francisco plays subtly with the slide guitar and story-tells with their lyrics. In many regards, this may be too country for many listeners' tastes, with a singer who truly has the country quiver in his voice. Much of the material fits the standard for country music as far as beats, guitar tones, and structure. Granfaloon Bus receives help on this album from current and former members of such established acts as Sonic Youth, Mr. Bungle, Dieselhed, the Breeders, Mark Eitzel, Fuck, and many more. According to their bio, the core of the band is content being defined as "slanted folk-pop," and that description would seem to fit here fairly well. The hooks are here, they're just harder to find for those who don't speak country music as the primary language of one's soul. Nevertheless, this seems to be a good album for fans of Americana, illustrating a deeper, yet simplistic sound that hopefully they're ready for. ~ Kurt Morris|