From Quagmire's second album continues the attractive, unexpected twists and turns of the first, as the trio explores the combination of space and suddenly dramatic arrangements over seven tracks. The basic lineup and approach remains unchanged -- Dorothy Geller handles all songwriting and guitars, James Wolf's sometimes shockingly abrupt violin shades every song, Vincent Van Go-Gogh plays "percussions" as well as handling the recording. Geller's sometimes cryptic lyric, at points fragmentary and not readily apprehended, continue the air of "song/not song" in many of the pieces. If there are no conventional melodies per se, there are core chords and subtle riffs, around which the performers add their individual contributions. The pieces often quietly slip into each other as the album progresses, lending the disc the feeling of an overall piece rather than a collection of songs. There's a sense of intriguing confusion about many songs, as if they're somewhere between improvisation and careful planning, with no definite indication one way or another. "Viennese II," the instrumental start to the album, starts off quietly, builds up to a frenzied climax, and then calms down again, but it could just as easily be a sudden capture of five minutes of interaction. Many of
Caught in Unknowing's highlights come in moments -- the gentle echo on Geller's voice for the title track, adding a sense of sonic depth without overwhelming the mix, the just-distorted-enough violin introduction to "Victims and Second Viennese," and more. ~ Ned Raggett