This eponymous disc from alterna-rockers
Animal Bag has a wandering tone that suggests progressive, psychedelic, and melodic rock. While diverse influences can inspire fresh new musical amalgams, they can just as easily trick artists into pointless miscalculations. Unfortunately,
Animal Bag would fall into the latter category. This 1992 Mercury Records release (the first and last major-label offering from the group) also suffers tragically from poor production. Each musician has a respectable grasp of his instrument, but somehow, the performances fail to blend together, and the mix sounds fractured and uneven. The loud, dry-sounding drums are especially troubling. Coming across like the deranged offspring of
Mötley Crüe and
Rush, it's hard to guess what kind of audience
Animal Bag was trying to reach. Perhaps they hadn't yet figured it out? No matter what the underlying problems might be, the result is a flawed recording. ~ Vincent Jeffries