The new and possibly last solo album from BouleBlog favorite Chris Arduser. Cover photo courtesy Crooked Mile Records.
Long since the inception of this blog, which started through Princeton Record Exchange, I have enjoyed reviewing Chris Arduser’s work in order to put him in front of the popular view. Since discovering him with the Bears (featuring Adrian Belew) I have really enjoyed Arduser’s contribution to the Bears work as well as with the psychodots, including long-time bandmates Bob Nyswonger and Rob Fetters. But not only his work in bands such as the Bears and psychodots, Arduser on his own has quite a collection of solo albums, the last of which Hapless, was reviewed by this intrepid blogger for the Princeton Record Exchange (it may also appear as a Friday Flashback on this very blog).
There does appear with one overshadowing rumor with this release, that rumor being that this will be the last Chris Arduser solo album. If this does prove true I can only put this in the category of tremendous tragedy. Arduser’s solo albums have brought me many joyful hours, and I feel if they had gotten greater circulation throughout the music community nationwide, hell, worldwide, he would be a much bigger act then he is now. Not that he’s a nobody. Arduser is one of the biggest names in the Cincinnati music area especially when it comes to percussion. Basically if you’re in the Midwest he’s your go-to guy if you want a session drummer with killer chops. But he’s not just a drummer. I have personally witnessed Arduser play mandolin live with the Bears, and on his solo albums often times he’ll play each and every instrument you would hear; mandolin, keyboards, bass, guitar, drums and some instruments one might not expect from a “pop” musician.
Yet Arduser, always ready to throw a monkey wrench into the sound has come up with some very intriguing noises on the new release called Flibbertigibbet. How’s that for a monkey wrench of a title? I think it’s time we dug into Chris Arduser’s latest offering and sit back and enjoy the strangeness!
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