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FOR STREET OF LOST BROTHERS:
"THREE AND A HALF STARS...PERHAPS LUCAS' MOST PERSONAL PROJECT...LUCAS
CONTEMPLATES FACETS OF HIS CULTURE, OFFERING HIS PERSPECTIVE THROUGH
VARIED FORMATS."
"A SPOOKY MASTERPIECE...radical Jewish music of master guitarist Lucas."
| DE VOLKSKRANT (Holland), 06/01 |
"COMPLEX HUMORISTIC AVANTGARDE...he practices witchcraft out of fantastic guitar riffs and rhythms. Most pieces are instrumental and excellent because of his fanatic and fantastic guitar art."
| GONZO CIRCUS (Holland), 06/01 |
"MORE OF HIS REINVENTIONS OF JEWISH CULTURE, from the Marx Brothers to 'The Tel Aviv Ghetto Fighters Song,' plus his dizzying take on 'The Ride of the Valkyries.'"
| THE NEW YORK TIMES, 12/00 |
"LUCAS' BRAND OF MORDANT HUMOUR COMES TO THE FORE...ostensibly a tribute to the man's Jewish roots and upbringing...INTENSE, UNSETTLING, REWARDING AND AT TIMES, HILARIOUS (READ THE SLEEVE NOTES), LUCAS GETS BETTER ALL THE TIME."
"TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2000...LUCAS' STRONG WRITING AND INVENTION PROVE THAT
HIS BEST DAYS ARE NOT BEHIND HIM, BUT ARE IN THE PRESENT AND PERHAPS YET
TO COME."
| THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE, 12/00 |
"A GENIUS COMPOSER AND CONCEPTUALIST...LUCAS CONSTRUCTS AN EDIFICE OF
JEWISH ORIGINALITY...the followup to his wonderful "Busy Being Born". An
eclectic potpourri by the wizard instrumentalist, including updates of
traditional tunes composed and played like you've never heard them before
by his madcap band of confreres Gods and Monsters. His guitar playing, as
always, is unique."
"MUCH MORE SATISFYING...matching the emotional range of great Jewish
cantors like Yossele Rosenblatt, Lucas moves effortlessly through giddy
Yiddish knees-ups like "Yigdal" and "Mahzel Means Good Luck" into much
more blasted territory. "It's Like a Wheel" is a speedy acoustic fantasia
on dream themes recalling the work of guitarists Robbie Basho and Leo
Kotke. But the gravy here is Lucas' version of "Ride of the Valkyries",
scored for the end titles of a spaghetti western, where he shreds
Wagner's bombastic march with atonal machine-gunning guitar. It takes a
medley of Marx Brothers tunes to clear the smoke."
"5 STARS—ONE OF THE BAD BOYS OF JEWISH MUSIC...a follow-up to the
inspired, wacky "Busy Being Born" and it pushes the envelope even
further, but with astounding results. From the rock march "Yigdal" (don't
laugh, it works), through a series of brilliant improvisations that run
the gamut from delta blues to a deranged Hawaiian-cum-country "Ride of
the Valkyries", Lucas puts his virtuosity to spectacularly expressive
use. But the masterpiece of this set—worth the price of this CD by
itself—is an 11 minute "Sh'ma", a stunning adventure in electric guitar
dynamics, feedback and reverb aesthetics that combines the protean drive
of Hendrix with the brute force of Glenn Branca. If you can handle the
volume, this is a must-buy album."
"EXTENDS THE PALETTE TO FAHEY-ISH FINGERPICKING, GOOFY SWING, AND A
SMEARY, TREMBLING 'SH'MA YISRAEL'."
"4 STARS...RECOMMENDED...ANOTHER MAZY WORK DRAWING ON LUCAS' JEWISH
HERITAGE."
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