Clint Maedgen, Clint Maedgen (Independent)

Just when you think multi-faceted frontman Clint Maedgen has done it all, he goes and releases a solo record. Maedgen’s self-titled EP could easily have been a retread of his work with Liquidrone, the Bingo! Show, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and it still would have been monstrously entertaining. (Case in point: Most of his solo live performances are filled out by interpretations of his Bingo! Show numbers.) But instead, he forges forward in another new direction, one that utilizes electronics and the sounds of various homemade instruments. Although this is Maedgen’s most experimental music to date, he hasn’t quite gone off the deep end here. Thanks to records like Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music and Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut, to name just a few, the word “experimentation” has become synonymous with fan alienation. By contrast, Clint Maedgen’s brand of experimentation takes the work of his other bands into consideration instead of cutting ties to them. The musical settings are unique, but you can easily imagine hearing “There is a Light” or “Captain Tedious” at a Bingo! or Liquidrone performance, respectively. As different as those bands are, Maedgen’s passionate, soulful singing and charisma unify them, and it’s no different here. The only downside to this CD is its running time of six tracks and 25 minutes, which only leaves listeners, especially fans of Maedgen’s other projects, wanting much more.