Music Style Space-Rock

Albums Que Son Los Troll Y En Que Nos Ayudan

Press Reviews Dec 19 2001 The San Francisco Weekly Qué Son Los Trolls y en Qué Nos Ayudan? (Orange Sun) Silas Paine The Bay Area has long been a breeding ground for odd musical beasts: psychedelia in the '60s, damaged art-punk and industrial in the '70s and '80s, and experimental noise and weirdo beats in the '90s. Lest you think this vile bloodline has faded like affordable housing, along comes Troll, a creature that's been lurking undetected in the San Francisco fog since 1998. The five-piece's debut full-length, Qué Son Los Trolls y en Qué Nos Ayudan?, is a strange brew, not quite perfected but still bewitching. A number of familiar ingredients swirl and bubble in the Troll sound -- especially the charred flower-power of Sonic Youth and space-rock jams of '70s Hawkwind -- but the band adds some new seasonings. The vocalists (three men and two women) trade off singing in Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Japanese, and English, without sounding like an ESL school. Add a tendency to jump from dreamy vamps ("Equilibrios") to bossa nova swing ("Texas Bossanova") to freaky acid rock ("El Vampiro"), and you have a band that makes the experimental accessible. Despite the psychedelic effects pedals and eclectic vibe, Troll leans toward a friendly feel. "California Poppy" is downright elegant, with a synth mimicking a sprightly flute, while the floating saxophone, bells, and guitar of "Sleeptrane" make perfect naptime rock. "Blue Skies" begins as an innocuous, pastoral love song, until the female singer starts ranting about "Blue, blue skies/ In my bloody eyes." "Army" shifts gears as well, moving from a driving rock song to something mildly psychotic when a male vocalist unleashes passionate shrieks. "Dinah Soar" enters an even darker netherworld, where looped squawks and cheesy keyboard strings weave a disturbing waltz. The most consciousness-altering moment, however, is buried at the end. This untitled final track pits a woman's vaguely European folk song against harsh keyboard drones, scratchy record samples, and oscillating laser-gun blasts. Hopefully, this tune hints at similar genius freakouts to come, as Troll spends more quality time brewing odd goo in its vast cauldron. October 10, 2001 The San Francisco Bay Guardian Dave Pehling The way local avant-pop band Troll pillage sonic ideas from left-field influences, it's no wonder their debut album became an in-store favorite at Aquarius Records. Playful bits of tropicalian madness careen over metronomic pulses of rhythm served straight from the Can. Buffalo Daughter drones shimmy and dance circles around whispered voices of Pothead Pixies from the planet Gong. The unpredictable pastiche of psychedelia, featuring multiple vocalists singing in five languages, might have fallen flat on its eclectic face if the band hadn't wrapped it in such tuneful ear candy. "Silver Mountain" opens the album with sparce drums and a dreamy feeling before hefty fuzz-tone guitar and effect-drenched vocals launch the song into the stratosphere during the chorus's hooky crescendo. Lotte Svenningsen's singing ranges from Nico-esque weariness on the the Velvets-Pixies surf of "Love song for Trixie" to unbridled caterwauling on "El Vampiro". While the album's quieter space-lullaby moments reveal some vocal shortcomings among the band members, the bits of off-key singing add an anarchic and endearing quality. Troll avoid wallowing in the lysergic baptismal waters of their inspirations by keeping one ear keenly focused on memorable and original melodies. Terrascope (Fall 2001 issue) "The five piece group Troll's first full length CD "Que Son Los Trolls Y En Que Nos Ayudan" mingles sinister eastern-sounding psych with Japanoises and VERY strange songwriting. "Equilibrios" has a slow- burning dark afterglow, due to chilly minor key tremolo guitar playing and lyrics, (in Spanish?) whispered over subliminal omming. The Sonic Youthish rhythm playing and fuzz effects on "Love Song for Trixie" expand into a motorik groove which delivers the goods where S.Y's "Diamond Sea" only handed out IOU's. "Blue Skies" splits the paranoia up with a hungover lament sporting Nico cooing, the same girl singer then returns on "California Poppy" sounding like she's fronting Ectogram for the night. "El Vampiro" kicks in with dirty fuzz, funky but slinky and sinuous garage rock'n'roll and Hammer horror screeching. This is a GREAT, GREAT, truly Terrascopic record, book 'em for Terrastock!" - Steve Hanson Alternative Press (August/01 issue) "In a town ostensibly ruled by laptop witticisms, Troll has gained a reputation as one of San Francisco's best kept secrets. Fronted by the modish Dane Lotte Svenningsen and Argentinean-born Marina Moreno, the quintet profess a distinctly arty international flair. Taking the best bits of Tropicalia, Japanese Psyche, Krautrock, and Indie music, Troll reference but eschew prog-rock indulgence in favor of a melodic, experimental tunesmithery. It would take a poly-linguist to understand what Que Son... is about ? as it's sung in Japanese, Spanish, English, and Danish, respectively ? but such concerns quickly evaporate in the wake of the joy that is the Fall-ish "Love Song for Trixie" and the lovely Japanese/South American hybrid of "Texas Bossanova". Effortless as it is assorted, Que Son... is one of the year's hidden gems." - Alexis Georgopoulos Devil In the Woods Magazine (August 2001 issue) "Troll manage to capture a '60s-garage, psychedelic feel, but somehow give the music a fresh, sinister sound. Controlled open jams meander forward using Velvet-like guitar riffs, but just as things begin to fall apart the blurry vocals pull the songs back together. Given the correct dose of inspiration, these guys could play a weekend party the whole weekend. A '60s-garage version of early Jane's Addiction? Man, that's a stretch. Stoned-out garage-rock enthusiasts will enjoy this record immensely. (****) - Michael Dammers Aquarius Records (New release reviews) "Local quintet Troll has made a delightfully ambitious record. Each song is a minor gem with multiple vocalists, epic harmonies, intensely simmering guitar, well-written unpredictable songs... dynamic pieces that grow and develop within themselves."

Additional Info Troll can be reached by either postal or electronic mail :

Location San Francisco, California - USA

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