Cy Dune
Shake
Lightning Records

Cy Dune is a project of Akron/Family's Seth Olinsky, who is also the co-founder of Lightning Records. Earlier this year we met Dana Buoy (A.K.A. Dana Janssen, yes, Olinsky's fellow Akron/Family-member) through his wonderful Preacher EP. Olinsky released his debut EP, No Recognize last year. He has worked/collaborated with Swans/Angels of Light/Young God Records founder (and Ak/Fam's mentor) Michael Gira, as well as American post-minimalist mastermind Rhys Chatham, who's got his background in the avant-garde/No wave/punk-rock experimentalism (like where Gira started. Chatham has worked/played with names like La Monte Young, Tony Conrad, and Thurston Moore), plus American jazz drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake, American free jazz double bassist/multi-instrumentalist, poet and composer William Parker, American psychedelic rock/krautrock/electronic music/noise rock/minimalism combo Oneida, Japanese minimalism/free improv/noise/drone rock musician Keiji Haino and Japanese (US based) free-form percussion artist Tatsuya Nakatani. Here is Cy Dune's first full album. Shake some action! Shake and stir!

Cy Dune is, as his Soundcloud site and Lightning Records state: '...the pen name and alter ego of Seth Olinsky, songwriter, vocalist, and guitar virtuoso of underground noise punk legends (or freaks), Akron/Family.' Yes, Akron/Family for sure is the sound of the underground, and they are noisy and punky, but kind of balladry as well. They are everything at the same time. Sort of pop chaos 'to the point'. Like Lightning Records, which state Seth is '...performing a unique new, primitivist rock n roll'. There is a psychedelic twist to his music. In some way he sounds like a wild, rambling man almost related to The Cramps blended with The Birthday Party in one minute, for then to turn towards the more quiet and introvert in the next minute. 21 century schizoid man, for sure! The opening "Shake" is a true shaker, almost garage-rock styled. "Confusion" follows in "Shake"'s path - wild and untamed. The album continuous its semi-rampant, seemingly uncontrolled run, and after some songs I am not really sure what to think of it. I prefer the 'quieter' (more Ak/Fam-styled) songs, like "Hold My Hand", "Car Running" and "Dig Dig Dig", where The Velvet Underground shine through as a musical infuence. That said, I like Olinsky stretching and burning his way throughout the almost satirical "Rock n Roll". "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Raze" and "Wild Mann" (sic) almost jokes within the Rolling Stones/Led Zeppelin rock bag. And, again, I am not sure what to think of this as a whole package.

The ten-track long Shake clocks in at some 27 minutes, which is a good thing and a perfect length. Yet, it is a bit too much for me. I think I prefer Dana's work before Seth's songs. Sorry, no offense.

Copyright © 2014 Håvard Oppøyen