Dophesus - Opium Cunningham
As the title of this spacey but tight prog-rock jamfest suggests, Cincinnati-based Dophesus sounds like a group of honor students who just found their hippie music instructor's private stash. Too often, a band with such technical proficiency tries to throw everything it knows into its music as if to say "Look what we can do," while ignoring the groove and the essence of the song itself. Opium Cunningham showcases Dophesus' knack for turn-on-a-dime changes in a way that suggests they are only out to challenge and amuse themselves.
Indeed, this is an album for stoners, tweakers, music geeks and folks who just want to "RAWK"! Many of the tracks are instrumentals. "inspederic" alternates between a light bluesy groove and the frantic schizophrenia of Soundgarden's "Circle Of Power". The title track is a 10:45 slab of trippiness, worthy of any all-night campout concert. When there are vocals, they serve more as punctuation for the music than some heady manifesto or the trite lyrical attempts of radio rock.
That's not to say that a powerful vocalist wouldn't put Dophesus into overdrive; it's just that they seem quite capable of surviving without one. In fact, the vocal highlights of the CD seems to be when the band treats them as part of the thick soundscape of the song. For example, "asscandle (die fratboy, die)", a funky tune driven by Tom Smith's busy bass line, incorporates manic crowd noise throughout.
Guitarist Dave Cupp jumps from style to style (often within the same song), but never lets you forget you are listening to the same guy. Intertwined in unison with the eccentric drumming of Ezra Waller and the tight bass riffs of Smith at one moment, and almost minimalist in his approach in the next measure, Cupp seems content to obey the spirit of the composition.
All in all, Dophesus sounds like a happier Tool, a smarter Butthole Surfers, a more palatable Rush with a dash of Morphine, and essentially…Dophesus
