Set in motion by a dream involving a chatty centaur named David Bowie, Caterpillar Centipede sees the revival of
Eric Elbogen's long-running indie rock act,
Say Hi. Having previously shelved the project after 2015's vampire-themed Bleeder's Digest, the Seattle-based musician launched the similarly offbeat sci-fi/rap vehicle Werewolf Diskdrive, with the intention of it becoming his primary musical outlet going forward. Thanks to the intervention of Bowie (the centaur),
Elbogen opted instead to refocus his attention on the attributes that earned
Say Hi its fervent fan base in the first place. Refreshingly theme-less, Caterpillar Centipede (a name also gleaned from the dream) sets its sights on producing especially catchy tunes (earworms) with a punchy stripped-down guitar-driven feel. With no vampires or robots populating the landscape,
Elbogen often leans toward introspection and matters of the heart on cuts like "Don't Go Like That, No," "Neon Signs," and "Dreaming the Day Away." Balancing the album's tenderer aspects are riffy, more straightforward rockers like "Mathematicians" and "I Just Wanna Go Home." Though slightly less ambitious in subject matter than some of his earlier releases, there's a nice worn-in feel to much of the album, which doesn't try to beat you over the head with its quirkiness.
Elbogen has plenty of talent and charisma as a writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, but sometimes a more subdued approach gets the point across just as well. ~ Timothy Monger