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FOR THE ORDEAL OF CIVILITY (GARY LUCAS & GODS AND MONSTERS):
"ONE OF THE MOST DISTINCTIVE GUITARISTS OF THE LAST FEW DECADES, A PLAYER WITH THE PERFECT COMBINATION OF TASTE, PRODIGIOUS TECHNIQUE AND WILD IMAGINATION..."The Ordeal of Civility" is Lucas' most instantly appealig, easily accessible album, which in the context of his long, creative career, makes it paradoxically the most radical LP he's ever done."
| THE BIG TAKEOVER, May 2011 |
"LUCAS' GAME IS THROWING CURVES AND HE DOES A FINE JOB OF IT ALL OVER 'THE ORDEAL OF CIVILITY"...WHATEVER HE ATTEMPTS HE MANAGES TO PULL OFF. Full of expert playing and songwriting, and is another solid album from a still somewhat unknown legend of rock music."
"A WIDE-RANGING YET THOROUGHLY COHERING ALBUM, that bounces from weird swamp-boogie to acoustic blues to jazzy stomps to English folk, tied together by Lucas' slithery, stinging slide guitar. Gods and Monsters are more than capable of hanging with Lucas through all his sharp turn and tricky tangents, spicing up the proceedings with an abundance of timbres. Given a couple of spins, this album will grown on you and reveal itself to be full of quirkily catchy songs."
"IT'S OBVIOUS THAT LUCAS IS MORE INTERESTED IN SERVING THE SOUL OF THE SONG THAN SHOWING OFF HIS CHOPS, AND THAT RESTRAINT WORKS EXCEEDINGLY WELL HERE FROM START TO FINISH."
"THERE'S A FIRESTORM OF ACTIVITY, A BRAVURA DISPLAY OF INTELLIGENCE HERE IN THIS ALBUM, BUT LUCAS' MOST AFFECTING MOMENTS ARE QUIET, GRACEFUL AND SPARE...a reminder that just because you can play guitar with dizzying skill, or write lyrics with a Yale English grad’s subversive wit, you don’t always have to. Sometimes the greatest technique is understanding when technique would just get in the way."
"WHETHER RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST LIVING GUITARISTS, BY SELLING OUT SHOWS AROUND THE WORLD, OR BY TEAMING WITH LATE GREAT JEFF BUCKLEY, GARY LUCAS' ABILITY TO CONTINUOUSLY WEAVE HYPNOTIC RIFFS WITH INSPIRING MELODIES WITHSTAND THE TEST OF TIME. This is exemplified with the release of The Ordeal of Civility. Gods & Monsters deliver a fantastic mixture of sound that brings a smile to your face while you discover the sounds you thought you’d forgotten."
"GARY LUCAS MANAGES TO BE A SUPERIOR ARTISAN AND AN ARTIST OF THE FIRST RANK...SHOWS THAT GARY LUCAS REMAINS VITAL, WHATECER DIRECTION HE SEEKS TO MOVE WITHIN AND TOWARDS."
| GAPPLEGATE GUITAR AND BASS BLOG, May 2011 |
"THE ONLY SICK THING ABOUT GARY LUCAS IS HOW WELL HE PLAYS GUITAR... Lucas leads a top-notch psychedelic rock band consisting of Television drummer Billy Ficca, Modern Lovers bassist Ernie Brooks, and former Talking Heads keyboardist Jerry Harrison, who also produced the band's throbbingly intelligent third album. "The Ordeal of Civility". G&M's deep bag of tricks lets them soar optimistically, swing effortlessly, and even eoke the horrors of a 1941 Polish pogrom."
"A REMARKABLE DISPLAY OF HEADY MUSICAL DEXTERITY...SEE, YOU CAN BE SMART AND ROCK AT THE SAME TIME!"
"A GUITAR VIRTUOSO WHO PRIZES FEELING ABOVE PURE TECHNICAL ABILITY. This cult hero compiled a staggering resume over the past 3 decades, working in Captain Beefheart's band, writing songs with Jeff Buckley, scoring films and tv shows, and playing with everyone from Iggy Pop to Roswell Rudd to DJ Spooky."
"FEARSOMELY PROLIFIC GUITAR MAESTRO GARY LUCAS BACK WITH HIS AVANT-BLUES ROCK SUPERGROUP GODS AND MONSTERS...the musical menu is wildly varied, from spirited electric romps to esoteric brass instrumentals to acoustic guitar bombardments."
"A WIDE RANGE OF THEMES WITH ONE CONSTANT: GREAT MUSIC...reveals Lucas' ability to delve into any musical genre and reveal something new and fresh rather than predictable...ONE OF THE LAST GREAT GUITARISTS OF OUR TIME"
| THE MUSIC SWAMP, July 2011 |
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