Whether you call them freak pop, psych rock, or elaborate stoner jams, the songs that ooze and gurgle off of the Occasion's Cannery Hours have one thing in common: they all sound like candidates for the soundtrack to the Donnie Darko sequel. Doleful is not the right word, and that's largely because of the vocals. Drummer Charles Burst, pianist Brent Cordero, and guitarist Jordi Wheeler share them, layering their voices for a pleasingly restrained combo that calls to mind earnest '70s popsters like America. Weirdly, though, the Occasion-- a band, not insignificantly, given to clear enunciation -- also manages to sandwich in a moment or two of Bowie-style howling. Toss that together with an obvious Pink Floyd influence, and what you get should by any reasoning be horrible, the kind of thing people call "experimental" to be nice. Except it's not. Haunting is an adjective this CD strives for and earns, especially on the ten-minute epic "The Maiden" and the title track (thus the Darko suitability). Not to be overlooked are Sara Shaw's skillful tape loops, which effectively draw the listener that much closer to the mental creep zone that the Occasion, by some trick of sonic knitting, inhabits confidently and comfortably enough to render welcoming.
© Tammy La Gorce /TiVo