Triclops!

Triclops!

Helpers On The Other Side

Alternative Tentacles

Adding flourishes to the formula established on their debut Out of Africa, Alternative Tentacles' flagship band Triclops! continues its assault on all pretenders to the punk / psych / prog throne. The sound on this album is varied, but one might say it's akin to fIREHOSE crossing streams with Goblin in an acid vat. There's even an acoustic bridge in "With SARS, I'll Ride the Wind" that sounds like a fever-warbled classic rock jammer. Triclops! is an acid-punk version of avant-garde classical composition with cinematic textures--an absurdist soundscape replete with comedic relief that acknowledges its own pure ridiculousness. This career suicide / cult-accepted approach to exhibitionism finds kindred spirits in envelope-pushing, progress-obsessed minds like Butthole Surfers, Slayer, David Lynch, Zappa, Heinlein, Timothy Leary, Melvins / Big Business, B. Traven, Deerhoof, Bill Hicks, Sun Ra, Fellini, Sonic Youth, and Scratch Acid. Having toured Europe and shared bills with Melt Banana, NoMeansNo, Big Business, and Jesus Lizard, these post-punk veterans' distinct sound is unmistakably Triclops!

Triclops!

Out Of Africa

Alternative Tentacles

Sci-fi bristles with cautionary tales of gene-splicing and its freakish consequences, but in an Alternative Tentacles tome, "freakish" is a desirable trait. Triclops!, a result of SF Bay Area inter-band splicing (featuring members of Bottles and Skulls and the Lower Forty-Eight fortified by personnel from AT stalwarts Victims Family and Fleshies), assaults the public with the best acid punk around today. Don't let their pedigree fool you: Triclops! turns the dial down on the bellicose punk/hardcore you might expect, instead opting for meandering yet tension-filled psychedelic epics.  The seven songs on Out of Africa, their first full-length, are reminiscent of the golden hits from the 1990s Touch and Go or Amphetamine Reptile catalogs, tweaked out on the exhilarating paranoia typical of America in the early aughts. Distorted vocals, oscillating bass lines, and jittery guitars form a nervous, seasick swath over the plodding drums. Songs unfurl into worlds of their own with byzantine lyrics--the lament of an Iraqi museum curator in one, an ode to the botfly (a tropical parasite) in another--while the music explores variations in tone and urgency. Positive reviews followed their EP on Sick Room and picture-disc 7-inch on GSL; expect gushing praises for this fine morsel of acid punk-prog.  "The Triclops! version of punk rock destabilizes preconceptions with every twisted minute. Best live band in San Francisco? Provided you like your music unpredictable, aggressive, and more than a little bit threatening--yes." --SF Weekly   "Super proggy acid-punk ... breaking down into some surprisingly melodic...