monoblogue music: “Once In A Blue Moon” by Robert Nix

On perhaps the most challenging album I’ve yet reviewed, Toronto’s Robert Nix takes us on his do-it-yourself journey through a complex and layered composition. While there are a couple songs that were experiments gone bad, there are some good tunes on here as well.

Nix is another one of a long line of artists I’ve reviewed that handle the entire process of composition, recording, and production. Released back in January, this is his fifth album, and he seems the type who is writing and recording to send a message almost as much as to sell albums – although as those of us in particular avocations realize, spreading a message works far better when more people buy the medium on which it is placed.

“Once In A Blue Moon” is a keyboard-based album, although there are departures from that norm such as the brassy but brief Dad’s Song and the next track, which is aptly named Real Time Drum Solo. I think I can see the urgency for including them to give the album some different ideas, but to me they were filler. The Evil Eye also seemed a bit ponderous, but perhaps it was just out of place as a 4 1/2 minute song on an album where most tunes clock in at 3:20 or less.

Nix is described as “far left field” and on certain songs the lyrics reflect that – none moreso than the screed Stop The Cruelty (You Mindless Human), although Watch Us Fall would deserve some sort of honorable mention for the category. But it seems that unconventional lyrics and messages are Nix’s stock in trade – there isn’t a conventional love song in the bunch.

After listening a couple of times, though, I can see where there’s a certain appeal to Nix’s music if you’re looking well off the beaten path. The video for the lead song Won’t Go With The Flow does a good job of capturing how compelling Nix can be.

Nix shows a ’60s psychedelic side on the title track as well as Time To Make Up Your Mind, but he also has some nice guitar work on What Would You Do? (Out Of School) and the last track, Can’t Get To Sleep.

Each time I get an album to review, there are included in the notes a list of similar acts that the artist may remind you of. I try not to get any preconceived notions (so I usually listen before I read the notes) but the artist Nix reminded me of wasn’t there. While Nix doesn’t have the genre-bending effortless flow Frank Zappa had between rock, classical, and jazz, the tempo changes and complex layering of these songs he exhibits remind me of some of Zappa’s work. (There’s even some slight resemblance in physical appearance.)

The video I feature above is a good representation of the more accessible sounds of Nix, so in that respect you can listen for yourself. The guy is definitely out in left field, but every so often home runs are hit there. To me this is a solid double down the line, so take from that what you will because the first time I listened I thought it was a loud foul ball.