Public Execution Of Mister Personality, The / Quasi Day Room

Hamster Theatre - The Public Execution of Mr. Personality and Quasi Day Room

Dark, dramatic progressive/psychadelic circus music, with many tracks written for modern dance pieces. Varied instrumentation ranges from guitarróns to glockenspiels, but centers on cabaret sounds of the accordion and harmonium. Mysterious, sweeping smoke-and-mirrors feel.

"Public Execution" disc all mid to low energy; "Quasi Day Room" disc is a live set, and so is more upbeat, crazy, jazzy, and, well, live.

See also: The Denver Gentlemen, Chad Wackerman, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic

FCC Clean (All instrumental).


Disc 1: The Public Execution of Mr. Personality

Picks: 4,7,10,11,
1. 2:10 - Wind sounds and mournful accordion. 18-sec out.
*2. 4:23 - Darkish, low/mid energy prog/psych rock number on accordion. Features abrupt free-blown sax break. 32-sec out
3. 2:36 - Mysterious flute and piano, with well-chosen lyric guitar. 10-sec out.
***4. 3:47 - Funky bass and drum groove with full-band jam feel. Ranges from cabaret to Andy Griffith. End hit, then 6-sec out.
5. 2:55 - Music box opener. Goes between slow, quirky toybox prog rock and nauseous carousel vibe. 6-sec out.
6. 1:56 - Flowing circus dirge. 7-sec out.
**7. 7:04 - Another funky intro. Bent journey, ranges from a happy lilt at the start through some darker sections, to a halfhearted jam fade-out for the last 35 secs.
*8. 4:31 - Spooky progressive jazz. Could be soundtrack to an urban art film shot in the '20s. Very low energy close, 8-sec out.
9. 3:01 - Progressive jazz in 5/8. Sounds like lopsided toy machinery, or maybe a bizarre Star Trek episode. 8-sec out.
***10. 1:31 - Dramatic, insane tango. Thick vamp, haunted pizzicato violin (?), and extended, horror-movie strings.
**11. 4:34 - Harmonium dirge intro, shifts to lazy, psychedelic sunny-day feel, then again to prog jazz with quirky, upbeat two-step breaks. Ends with heavy back-beat while the rest of the sounds fall apart. 15-sec out.
*12. 4:31 - Gentle acoustic intro with flute. Easy instrumental jazz ballad feel with well-chosen and unexpected dark undertones. Vamp fade out last 45 sec.
13. 2:52 - Low energy, swaying and lazy back-porch accordion and ukelele. Fades slowly into shaker/clock ticking last 1:00, metal clank 8 sec from end.


Disc 2: Quasi Day room

(Live disc, so most tracks end with some seconds of applause. Generally more jazzy, crazy, unpredictable, and upbeat than first disc.)

Picks: 3,8,10,12
1. 4:46 - First 1:40 crazy mishmash, then mid energy psych jazz. Some Middle Eastern elements float in and out.
2. 3:04 - Crazy, noodly jazz intro into breakneck cabaret shuffle.
**3. 6:26 - Mid energy Bossa Nova feel to discordant melodic jazz. Crazy, trippy interlude around 3:30.
4. 3:35 - Cold start applause, then quiet intro intro catchy jazz theme.
5. 4:11 - Rushing, bubbling intro into diverse, psychedelic carnival music.
*6. 6:16 - Funky opening into slow/mid psych jazz. Heavy and light sections.
7. 2:41 - Accordion intro
**8. 5:04 - Beautiful, soft intro into great melodic accordian, theremin, and harmonium sections. Craziness increases as track progresses.
9. 3:55 - Slow, spooky psych jazz featuring extensive harmonium
**10. 2:49 - Mid-energy, French-feeling lilt. Fades out.
11. 4:23 - Cold, loud start straight from last track. Upbeat, sweeping progressive jazz. Contains soft interlude.
***12. 4:29 - Cadential intro, then light, schmultzy harmonium and insane circus music.
*13. 4:40 - Fast, spy-like cabaret jazz. Very dramatic!