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The Ribbon Device started early 2004, as the brainchild of Mat Creedon (vox & guitar).
Along the way there has been an ever evolving line up of musicians and trusty companions
including Mimmo Panunzio (bass) (who has been there from the start) Bar McKinnon
(keys & woodwinds) (of Mr Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3), Pat Moore (drums), Evan Pierce (Decks),
Mat Baulch (guitar/Sax), Ben Street (guitar/synth) the Amazing Mundo (Drums) and a whole bunch
of other freaks.
The current TRD line up is Mat Creedon, Mimmo Panunzio, Ben Street and The Amazing Mundo |
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PBS FM
By Nina Katze
The Ribbon Device – Saturation Day (Nincompoop records)
It's definitely not a necessity to know something about The Ribbon Device's history to appreciate their debut release, Saturation Day, but it will certainly add depth to the experience. With Bar McKinnon, an ex-member of Mr Bungle and The Secret Chiefs 3, forming part of The Ribbon Device's line up and half-brother, Mat Creedon penning all of the material, it was to be expected that the Bungles and The Secret Chiefs 3 would leave their indelible mark. But while the Bungles self titled debut reeks of producer John Zorn – a man whose music sounds like experimental jazz for PCP addicts – and their sophomore release, Disco Volante, was credited as “a perfect example of meshing high and low art musical genres”, it's clear that The Ribbon Device's Saturation Day takes it's cues from the less experimental and more accessible California.
It would be a fair estimation to say that despite it's brilliance, some of us found a majority of Mr Bungles material hard to digest, avant-garde and chaotic to say the least, it was hard not to lose the plot when the channels continued to change. But was it that we'd simply missed the point? To once again turn music back into art. The Ribbon Device however, seem to have reaped the rewards of paying attention in class, managing to integrate the Bungles somewhat extremist material with a higher quota of popular culture or ‘low art', making it highly palatable. Happiness serves as brilliant example as to how their trademark sound has been preserved with sudden sonic changes, chaotic interjections of various jazz instrumentation, the usage of particular percussive instruments and the presence of unique soprano harmonies.
Although they've been described as “strange pop”, any attempt to pin it down to simply this, seems near sighted. Although their tone may not be as radical as their primary influence, they display a skilful ability to seamlessly interchange between musical genres. The art of the retrospective and psychedelia is also hard at work here, with tracks like Something Inside exhibiting Bowie-esque vocals and acoustic guitar reminiscent of Space Oddity, topping it off with some surrealist, audio effects straight from the 1970s.
It should come as no surprise that psychedelic influences would include the infamous Brian Jonestown Massacre with their enigmatic retrospective tones appearing throughout. It's by no means a mistake that the Brian Jonestown Massacre made it to the guest list, it's a reflection that all The Ribbon Device's seminal influences possess an ability for pastiche.
It's a tough ask, to construct an album that creates drastic shifts, whilst still remaining consistent and listenable but somehow The Ribbon Device have managed to deliver, moving smoothly from pop to rock, to fusion jazz to psychedelia, to ambient to classical and back again. It seems that the Bungles had it right, the fundamental lesson being: “music is art”. Looking around I can't help but notice that some of us have forgotten; it's a welcome relief to see that there's still a band who's willing to step up to the plate and remember. |
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| Date |
Venue/Club |
Location |
| November 02, 2007 |
Brunswick Hotel |
Melbourne, Australia |
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Location:
Nth Balwyn, Australia
Mat The Ribbon Device Website
mat@theribbondevice.com
Regular Tour Area:
Australia |
