This is one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in months. Gordon Anderson was one of the founding members of eccentric collective The Beta Band, but he split for medical reasons and produced the bizarre lo-fi guitar album Concubine Rice under his new name. While the songs on Schoozzzmmii were reportedly recorded before his first, they have a complete feel to them. For supposed lo-fi, the bulk of the tracks here are fairly complicated and rich, like the slower passages on The 3 EPs. Anderson shows a plethora of influences in each track but transcends them all and produces a refreshing record. There are a few songs like "Brown Cow" that come off like a less creepy Mellow Gold, elements of Elliott Smith pop up in "Sallyzimmerman," and "Maramoroco" practically samples the theme from American Beauty and douses it with Native American-style chants. Lone Pigeon sees more vocal effort and range than any other Beta project I've heard yet. He never really lets you get comfortable either. Each song is a contrast from the other, and with 16 tracks in a 40-minute CD, there are a lot of brisk changes. It's an invigorating breath of fresh music in the face of the smothering pop rock bollocks that plagues our collective unconscious. What I'd like to know is if this really was written and recorded before Rice like the liner says, why did it take so long to come out? What else are you hiding Gordon?!
1. Boats
2. Touched By Tomoko
3. Back Door
4. Pikashoo
5. Jesus I Love You
6. Lonely Vagabond
7. Silver Ship
8. Magic Mouse Of Mupping Keep
9. Sound Of A Gun
10. Brown Cow
11. Rainbow
12. Down And Around
13. Maragamoroco
14. Sallyzimmerman
15. Armando
16. Solo Traveller