AMZ Musiczine

by Robert Lewis

As is my usual routine when picking up a new piece of music, I purposely ignored the press kit that came with Gunnar Madsen’s “The Power of a Hat.” The name didn’t ring a bell, but I was intrigued by the cover art (usually a good sign) and put it at the head of the pack for this month’s new listening. What met my ears first was “Naked in the Garden” and I thought, “What the hell is this?” It started out funky enough, but weird and not necessarily pleasant. I’m happy to say however that by the time this track reached the halfway point, I was hooked.
Turns out this guy is more of a “name” than I originally thought. Making up part of the ‘80’s acapella sensation “The Bobs,” Gunnar and company was responsible for one of my all-time favorite remakes -- the acapella version of “Helter Skelter.” But Gunnar Madsen has picked up the instruments for this CD and proven that he’s even better when there’s some music to back him up!
I’m not so sure that “The Power of a Hat” is for everybody out there. While the music is certainly well executed and about as eclectic as one can get on a single CD, the lyrics were disappointing - I just didn’t get where he was coming from most of the time. I’d file Gunnar Madsen somewhere between Peter Hammill (for his eclectic taste in song styling) and Adrian Belew (for his vocals and strange taste in lyrics).
Two songs stood out as absolute winners in my book however, making “The Power of a Hat” a buy for anybody serious about experimental music. One was the piano ballad “Something Special,” the stark simplicity of which just struck a chord with me as I remembered many events in my own life that mirrored those of the song. “Something Special” was the track that really drove home the parallel between Madsen and Peter Hammill.
The other song I absolutely loved was “Gentle Is the Lamb.” I think that the song could have been more powerful lyrically in spots, but the tribal beat and backing melody took me by surprise and kept me hitting the repeat button over and again.
I don’t want to make it sound like I didn’t like the rest of this album. Yes, my work is done here and I don’t have to listen to “The Power of a Hat” anymore. But I probably will anyway. The music keeps me coming back for more. The lyrics have yet to grow on me. Check back in a year; maybe I will have changed my mind.