Troy Lukkarila – Don’t Sit On Tables / 16 Tracks / 1999 Self-Released / http://www.lukalips.com / Reviewed 13 April 2004

Breaking out of the singer-songwriter with acoustic guitar glut of CDs, Troy’s “Don’t Sit On Tables” is a very Middle Eastern-influenced journey, which meshes well with a genre-bending desire by the keen intellect of Troy eirself. Mixing They Might Be Giants with the typical Dr. Demento fare, Troy is a keen purveyor of anything that is absurdist. The guest stars are really where the disc gains its steam, with a very jassy bass threading itself through the upbeat “20 Bucks”. Troy’s company’s (Lukalips Destruction Co) slogan is “Music for people who ain’t so damn stupid”; I refuse to be forced to creating mindless platitudes due to some unforeseen spectre of “stupidity”. Coming together more like a more coherent Steve Lieberman album, some of the tracks on “Don’t Sit On Tables” have a kernel of pop sensibility to them, especially the Voltaire-esque “Love Is…Love Will”.

“Don’t Sit on Tables” seems a little too bare, a little too weakly recorded, and as such, there are only a few times on this disc where a complete feel graces one of the tracks. The track in which all elements come into sync would have to be “Come Back”, which incorporates a horn and dual-vocal harmonies to completely detach the musical arrangement (beautiful) from the down-to-earth and gritty lyrics (such as “And there’s a sink full of dirty dishes…The dog staved to death/Cause I ate his food for lunch.”). A problem that continually rears its ugly head on “Don’t Sit On Tables” would have to be the large number of lyrics that Troy tries to cram into each line – eir’s delivery of these heavy lines really create interesting time signatures in the instrumental realm. The amount of experimentation that Troy attempts on “Don’t Sit on Tables” is truly amazing, and while every little aural googah doesn’t completely work, Troy does have a great track record with eir’s experiments.

Overall, there are brief flashes of brilliance on this disc, but most of the disc ends up settling in the same anemic indie-rock that has been a constant factor in the last few reviews. Troy has a much larger presence than many of eir’s guitar-holding, coffee shop-playing compatriots. This disc may have every component necessary to be compelling, but the simple fact here is that I just can’t draw anything in the way of emotional attachment to this album. This album is half a decade old; perhaps Troy has evolved and matured since then.

Rating: 5.3/10

Top Tracks: 20 Bucks, Love is…Love Will