Ric Hickey is an acquired taste. I can picture him sitting on his front porch with a guitar and a 4-track casually putting down his musical ideas. But the actual recording and musicmanship is far more professional than that comment would indicate. It just seems to be done in a laid-back off-beat manner, even though the excellent guitar work in all the tracks suggests otherwise. Hickey reminds me most of Beck. The tunes are generally mellow and they vary in style, ranging from short sing-a-longs to songs with extensive processed vocals, so much so that the lyrics are unintelligible. This form of musical deconstruction (deemphasising lyrics and emphasising the use of the voice as an instrument) is clearly something I can relate to. The music and lyrics are also funny.
Snail: Ric Hickey
Mole's Record Exchange
2622 Vine Street
Cincinatti, OH 45220