Elsewhere and the Bumble fly

It's a little while past noon, and I have a killer headache, but for some reason, listening to this group is helping it. I came across these guys about a day ago, but got so caught up with listening to them, I forgot to write about them. That changes today though.

So out Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, this is Elsewhere and the Bumble fly, a group I can only describe as psychadelic/alternative/twisted-folk-rock. Comprised of Elsewhere (lead vocals and lyricist), Bumble (acoustic and electric guitars), and Lezak (electric guitar), EBF's sound is so unique that I don't think I've ever heard anything quite like it.

Starting with the song "Darktime," I listen to their album Spell on U, and it's one of the most incredible things I've heard in a very long time. "Darktime" has a psychadelic effect to it, and starts on a guitar riff that is, in all senses of the word, magical. Elsewhere's vocals are creepy and prefect, and Bumble's guitar riffing is perfectly rounded off by Lezak's note progressions. This song's guitar solo is just sick, and Elsewhere's vocals are so trance-like that I feel like I'm listening to The Doors or Pink Floyd. A freaking amazing song for a crazy, out-there, brilliant album.

Track two for me is "Wonderwhy," a creepy, seemingly Marilyn Manson-inspired song with a swaying rhythm that Elsewhere uses to his advantage with melodic vocals while Bumble's and Lezak's guitar notes provide a certain sense of the unknown to the song. It reminds me a lot of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun," actually. The other effects in the song give it a Smashing Pumpkins-like sound, and really this track is so unique, I just don't have any other way of describing it. It's slow, it's rhythmic, and it's a brilliant song to meditate the meaning of life to. If that's a little too much for you though, it's still definitely a song you can be happy just listening to.

Then, as "Wonderwhy" peters out, "Circus Ride" comes on, and I suddenly understand why these guys call themselves twisted-folk. This one, though providing a brilliant platform for Elsewhere's vocals, showcases Bumble's guitar prowess, and Lezak's riffing, as it is entirely guitar centered. The guitar was so different that I felt like I was at a carnival, in a big-top tent, watching trapeze artists fly above my head. A brilliant song that actually does take you on a ride through the circus, this track definitely gets two thumbs up.

Track four, the last track I listen to, continues the circus theme in "The Sadfool." But we soon move away from the circus organ and then Bumble's guitar comes in, and it'a already promising to be an amazing track. Then amidst citar-sounding notes from Lezak, Elsewhere's vocals are more than hypnotic, and I'm serenaded into a psychadelic stupor. Just a great, Pink Floyd-esque song.

Though I'd love to sit here and describe every track, two things come to mind. First, it wouldn't do the tracks the justice they deserve. And second, why ruin the album for you guys. Go out, listen to it, and try and tell me it's not one of the most unique things you've ever heard.

Sounds Like: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Smashing Pumpkins

Key Tracks from Spell on U: "Darktime," "Wonderwhy," "Circus Ride," "The Sadfool"

Check out Elsewhere and the Bumble fly more at: http://www.unsigned.com/elsewhereandthebumblefly and http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?AID=738621&t=7235