Category:
Rock

Try if you like:
A Minor Forest, Joan Of Arc, Soul Coughing, Tortoise

Ok, it's kind of pathetic when you have a stack of review CDs that you hope to get to and you pull one out and it happens to be 3 years old now. Yes, Dennis is timely. Sure, this happens with bands you haven't heard of, bands that come in the mail unsolicited but when it happens to a band that you've been following for years there really isn't an excuse. I'm swearing by my "better late than never" rule on this one.

Drums & Tuba is a group that I have been following since their Flatheads and Spoonies album. They have provided some fun and different instrumental jam/jazz style music. Enter Battles Ole. I was a little surprised when about half-way through "Two Dollars" some Janes Addiction style vocals hit my ears. The vocals are provided by drummer Tony Nozero and they do work. The only thing, it seems to make Drums & Tuba into something much different than they were on their Flatheads and Spoonies album which I first got into. Change is good though and Battles Ole has a lot going for it. 

You still get some weird and wacky jams like "The Parting Surface". The 10 minute "Magnum Opie" was stretched out a bit far but it just shows you that Drums & Tuba still have that "Jam band" mentality.

After "If I Die" I was left with a distaste in my mouth. It was awkwardly dark and strange. Two things that should have worked but just didn't on this song.

Battles Ole is a decent album but not enough to really stand out as much as a band with a Tuba should. We'll see if Drums and Tuba get anything else completed.