The Remote Viewers - Obliques Before Pale Skin (1999)

Review by Steve Loewy

Three saxophonists doubling (and tripling on other instruments), with vocals thrown into the eclectic mix -- the results are fascinatingly complex. Louise Petts wrote most of the lyrics and sings the haunting melodies, often a cappella. (Her rendition of "It Could Happen to You" leaves the listener breathless.) The range is all over the map, something we have come to expect from releases on the small Leo Lab label. Saxophonists Louise Petts on alto, David Petts on tenor, and Adrian Northover on alto and soprano can keep it low and dry, or they can speed it up to total cacophony. When they add Northover's pocket Theremin, or Louise's wasp synth, or David's Roland SH-09 synth or pocket Theremin, they produce weird sounds that rock the boat. While the sax solos reveal influences as diverse as Evan Parker, it is the group sound that takes, and rather sweetens, the cake.