There’s never a correct genre to classify this group: They’re not classical, they’re not rock, and they’re certainly not shitty so they don’t qualify for the “new age” label under which they generally get stuck. Chamber-rock? I don’t know. I’ll quote the All Music Guide because they sum them up perfectly: “The Penguin Cafe Orchestra creates dreamlike music. It is beautiful, yet illogical, unpredictable, and often bizarre.” Yep. Think strings and guitars playing something like folky classical and jazz combined with a touch of Phillip Glass.
‘Half Notes’ are quick-take thoughts on music from Something Else! Reviews, presented whenever the mood strikes us.
Tom Johnson has contributed to Blogcritics, and maintained a series of stand-alone sites including Known Johnson, Everything is a Mess and others. He studied both creative writing and then studio art at Arizona State. Contact Something Else! at [email protected].
Latest posts by Tom Johnson (see all)
- King Crimson’s Brief But Important Double-Trio Era Peaked With ‘Thrak’ - April 14, 2025
- How David Bowie’s ‘Reality’ Stood Out For What It Was Not - September 29, 2023
- Metallica’s ‘St. Anger’ Was Always Much Better Than They Said - June 8, 2023
