Ex-
Abunai! drummer
Joe Turner's first solo move was discreet: a self-released CD-Rom EP entitled Dollar Star.
Between Two Seconds contains the seven songs released on that EP, plus four more, and constitutes his official full-length solo debut. The album requires some getting used to. It's not that it is difficult (far from it, actually) or poorly recorded (on the contrary, impressive production), but
Turner's songs tend to remain in the background on first listen. Only after a few listens does
Between Two Seconds open up its thick arrangements to let you in. The melodies and lyrics are often slightly too "psychedelic pop/rock" generic to make a strong impression, but what saves the album and empowers it with a good replay value are the consistency of the songwriting (not a single bad track) and the richness of the arrangements. A multi-instrumentalist himself,
Turner also brought a number of friends into the studio, including ex-
Olivia Tremor Control Bill Doss, ex-
Abunai! guitarist Brendan Quinn and flutist Ajda Snyder aka the Turkish Queen.) If these fine musicians add specific touches to specific songs, what reigns on this album is
Turner's resourcefulness in the studio: from mic'ing techniques for the drums to vocal effects, from guitar pedals to synth patches; each song offers a new sound palette and every listen brings forth a different shade, like a guitar track previously gone unnoticed. In the end, songs like "When Will You Wake Up?," "Turn Me Upside Down" and "Perfect the First Time" make their nest in your brain and you start wondering why
Between Two Seconds didn't hit you hard the first time around. It does lack devastating hooks, killer guitar solos or mind-expanding lyrics. But
Turner can and does turn up an honest, potent and pleasant collection of psychedelic rock songs. ~ François Couture