Bedhead wakes up with 'Novo'

REVIEW
	Trance Syndicate Transaction de Novo Bedhead

Bedhead is known in indie circles as the quietest rock band in the world. Through two full-length records and two EP's in the past four years, Bedhead's reputation precedes itself.

Bedhead's debut, "What Fun Life Was," was completely entrancing: Simple, quiet melodies mixed with the complexity of three guitars interweaving their magic, as a bass and drum set follow along quietly. Then, Bedhead turned the tables a little bit with their next two releases, "The Dark Ages EP" and "Beheaded."

Now, with "Transaction de Novo," Bedhead has shattered all expectations.

"Transaction de Novo" starts out with the same melancholy tone as showcased before on the opener, "Exhume," which speaks softly, offering the chime of bells as the only indicator of the underlying joy to come. Steve Albini, a member of Shellac and recorder of some of the noisiest music in the business, did the producing honors on this record.

This most unlikely pairing showcases an intensity Bedhead has always held, but rarely showed.

The drums and guitars on "Transaction de Novo" are crisp and earth-shattering, whereas they sounded somewhat muddled in past efforts. This is definitely due to Albini.

What is most important, though, is still the songs. "More Than Ever" starts out slowly, gaining intensity to the very last second of the song, when it ends suddenly. Bedhead has this beautiful quality of building the listener up, taking them to the peak, and then dropping them flat, leaving them waiting for the next time.

"Extramundane" almost sends the listener into shock. Its quick tempo, drums and interplaying guitars are reminiscent of "Goo"-era Sonic Youth.

It's completely uncharacteristic of Bedhead, yet it fits so amazingly perfectly. "Psychosomatica" is even more surprising.

With a Shellac-like guitar line and unusual time change, Bedhead travels to completely new territory and strikes gold.

The album closer, "The Present," brings you back down, but not before Bedhead gets you riled up again, if not for just a second. Although Bedhead has gotten a bit louder, the music is just as intricate and moving as in past efforts. If you like to get into the music you listen to, give Bedhead a try, and let yourself be totally moved.

02-17-98