Radio Whales
Infinite Number of Sounds
Infinite Number of Sounds Rec. Co.

The first time I heard Infinite Number of Sounds, I was fairly intrigued. When I finally saw them at Ingenuity a couple months ago, I was hooked. Having always had a jones for a trifecta of art-geek-rock ethos, dreamy electronic edginess and imaginative multimedia visions, I was immediately transported to a time where all of these elements powered arena rock shows of the progressive geek-rawk era.

Dig into my collection, you’ll find Genesis, Rush and Floyd alongside Porcupine Tree, Opeth and Tool and sprinkled in between Groove Armada, Zero 7, Maggie Estep and Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music. Somewhere in that mix, you’ll find Infinite Number of Sounds’ second full-length CD Radio Whales as well.

It’s been said before in these pages, but it bears repeating: you’ve never seen or heard anything like this come out of Cleveland in such a defined way. INS takes everything (and the kitchen sink) and drops it into a Cuisinart full of tripped out/swirling sounds, spoken word chills and delicious punk thrills. Implementing these sounds with the benefit of experimental video wizardry only peppers the experience.

But does the disc need digital audio-visuals to have impact? Not at all. The great thing about Radio Whales is that the production inspires the cinema in your head to create its own film noir or, perhaps more accurately, your own lost episode of “The X-Flies.”

“Washington Monument” and “Duidire” conjure ghosts and chilly winds caressing bridge abutments during a Cleveland winter. “Kiss My Converse churns out a delicious break-beat snack. “Fast Fashion” chooses emphasis on guitar melodies over keyboards. The spoken word of “Red Human-Headed Bull” reminded me of a sparse Soul Coughing… or more precisely, an M. Doughty radio broadcast during the end of the world.

All of this is delivered with four tongues (Brent Gummow, David Mansbach, Matthew Mansbach and Ron Tucker) planted firmly in their respective cheeks. Their talents speak for themselves on Radio Whales and the added splash of mesmerizing humor makes this more than your average musical act. If everyone has their own personal soundtrack album, Radio Whales would be mine.

Infinite Number of Sounds performs at the Cool Cleveland CMA@CIA Fast Forward Party this Friday, November 11. Please refer to Party details above for more information.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

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