Doldrums

by Patrick Foster
Falling together in 1994 as a loose conglomeration, Doldrums quickly honed a bracing twin-guitar attack, as played by Justin Chearno (ex Pitchblende) and former Rake bassist Bill Kellum, with Bill's brother Matt Kellum (who also plays with Chomsky and the Death Ray Davies) on drums. Taking off from the launching pad of Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia, Doldrums debuted with the "XA" 7" and quickly began refining a style that combined blissful and twisting guitar journeys with the nuts and volts of cerebral rock outsiders like Ash Ra Tempel and This Heat. With Matt's shifting, pulse-pounding rhythms as anchor, the group launched a series of memorable albums on Bill's VHF label in 1995. Following their debut, Secret Life of Machines, the trio shifted between VHF and Chicago's Kranky, issuing Acupuncture (Kranky) in 1997, the outstanding Feng Shui (VHF) in 1998, and Desk Trickery (Kranky) in 1999. Despite not touring behind the releases, the group has earned a devoted following of discerning musicos who value the trio's intelligent uses of both the electric guitar and the rock form as something more than a hackneyed cliché.