If an album can serve as a pathway into an artist's mind, then El Capitan Del Sol reveals Thomas Grathwol's brain to be an extremely warped and psychotic organ. This is Grathwol's first album under the moniker TASRU. From the dreamlike synthesizer on opening track ""Rude Awakening"" to the extraterrestrial bass that concludes ""Yamanashi Dub,"" El Capitan Del Sol sends its listener on an aural journey through a strange and intriguing world in a mere 37 minutes.
Grathwol's intention, however, was only to have some fun in recording what he describes in the album's liner notes as ""melodies and ideas and smart ass words floating around in my head that needed to be put to tape""—an apt description for the odd conglomerate of songs that compose El Capitan Del Sol. These things ""floating around"" in Grathwol's head were likely born sometime in the early 2000s when Grathwol bought a pair of drumsticks and a couple of Radiohead records. Now loaded with a arsenal of instruments that includes ukuleles, borrowed guitars and a Suzuki Omnichord, Grathwol moves from one idea to the next without much concern for maintaining a consistent sound or feel on El Capitan Del Sol. Even as Grathwol shifts through acoustic ambience, R&B grooves and dreamy pop bliss, there seems to be some sort of unidentifiable cohesion that makes El Capitan an enjoyable, if absurd, experience.
Like classic albums such as Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon or the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, El Capitan Del Sol seems to bring its listener into some sort of alternative world, this one accented by Grathwol's innovative sampling. Some of the samples—short bits of dialogue from obscure films, commercials and songs—seem to be simply another weird fragment of the world Grathwol has created. In other cases, however, they are an integral part of the music. ""Friends Obnoxious"" is based on a sample from a bluesy, Brazilian song by Erasmo Carlos called ""Mane Joao,"" which Grathwol fleshes out with drums, synth and vocals to create one of the more captivating tunes.
You'd be hard-pressed to find two similar songs on the album, with each one offering unique instrumentation and musical flavor. On ""Grapefruit Gun,"" Grathwol serves up a chaotic entree of reverse-looped guitars, melodic whistles and reverb-drained vocals. ""Harder Than U Think"" juxtaposes sweet acoustic riffs with cymbal-crashing and electric guitar solos. Title track ""El Capitan Del Sol"" finds Grathwol channeling his inner Radiohead, blending a simple electronic beat with squelching guitars and moaning vocals.
The highlight of the album, though, is undoubtedly ""Hunter/Gatherer,"" a delightful blend of an echoed two-chord organ refrain, scratchy electronic rhythms and sunny guitar improvisation. Whatever strange planet TASRU has taken us to, ""Hunter/Gatherer"" makes it clear that it knows happiness.
Recorded over the past couple years in a number of bedrooms and dormitories in the Midwest, the sound production on El Capitan is anything but professional: Grathwol himself said, ""I should take some recording classes next time.""
Indeed, a pair of nice headphones, speakers and some patience may be necessary to get full mileage out of TASRU's sound, but the genuine creativity and beauty of the songs on El Capitan Del Sol overrides any qualms one may have with Grathwol's raw recording, especially considering this album is available as a free online download via Rack & Ruin Records. If any album of this caliber is available for free, it's best to leave any grievances at the door and simply enjoy a free trip to TASRU's strange world.
