Hooves on the Turf

Farzad Houshiarnejad is from another band, and I wouldn’t call Captain Dum Dum his “solo project”—it’s more of a non-self-important moniker he’s adopted for a sketchbook of recordings he’s been keeping since he was 18, he thinks; something of a playground. I immediately liked the four songs he’s posted on his myspace, and asked him for a copy of his “debut album”, which he’s calling Escargot. It’s a collection of eight songs, and I shouldn’t even be surprised that I really love it; not just because a lot of it is whacky and funny, which it is, but because it’s filled with quality stuff: great melodies and singing, thoughtful piano lines, distinct and fully-realized mood for each song, and there’s nothing here that rings of self-conscious prodding; everything has a great, natural flow and ends up being a record of a thoughtful and sincere exploration of music. (More music after the jump).

Download “Bee Hive“

Of the eight, I’ve posted three songs here that you can listen to and describe for yourself. The ones not included are: “Dino Baby”, which draws on a tradition of Eastern Asian melodies, and is pretty dramatic with a low-pitched voice, the sound of thunder, and a steady stream of downbeats; “Don’t Stop the Beat” is 80’s-inspired layers of voice on piano, and it sounds like it could’ve been a duet with Tears for Fears; “Masters in the Making” is also all piano and singing, delicate and almost hymn-like; “We All Love Sex” features a quarrel between a British couple, presumably, as voiced by Farzad over a looping rhythm line on the piano; “What’s Up with Your Boy” is a rap number in which the author is irritated with a rich white boy’s adoption of a thug identity.

Download “Tiny Little Pumpkin“

Download “Fever“