Bryan Lewis Saunders – Bed Bugs 1-3
Painter, musician, poet, performer and all around twisted Renaissance man Bryan Lewis Saunders is one talented and prolific individual. In addition to all of the aforementioned endeavors, he also somehow finds time to belch out what he calls “stand up tragedy,” a depressing, morose form of spoken word. Bed Bugs 1-3 is a whole LP’s worth of such haunting stories culled from the author’s tumultuous life down in Johnson City, Tennessee. The album opens with some diary-like entries detailing Bryan’s interactions with an emotionally disturbed girl–all delivered via tinny yet menacing spoken vocals that sound like they’re coming in over a telephone line and rudely splattered with swirling noise drones.
The second piece introduces a series of very vivid stories about the supreme hassle of dealing with a bed bug infestation, as Bryan’s drowsy voice intones over some incessant electronic morse code beeping. On the flip side, a news report of bed bug infestation in Johnson City kicks off the proceedings, followed by Bryan’s long, clever, whispered rant against bed bugs. Although the stories reek of total despair and desperation, they’re somehow occasionally hilarious when viewed from a bed bug-free environment. I say this despite the fact that I’ve been covered in bed bug bites myself more than once as I traveled through Southeast Asia. So, I can relate. In the end, Bed Bugs 1-3 is an excellent piece of spoken word + noise music. It’s vaguely similar to some of the solo pieces of Lee Ranaldo, who is one of few other people whose work in this vein that I admire.
Label: Private Leisure Industries Catalog Number: PLI-3 Format: LP Packaging: LP jacket Tracks: 3 Country: United States Released: 2011 More: Huffington Post, Bryan Lewis Saunders, Wired
Text ©2013 Arcane Candy
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