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cement

Formed in the early '90s after bandleader and lead vocalist Chuck Mosley had spent time fronting Faith No More, Bad Brains, and Haircuts That Kill, Cement managed two releases on the Dutch East India imprint. While pretty much ignored critically and commercially, Cement did create some rambunctious, funky garage rock inspired by irreverent artists as varied as Mosley's prior employers Ween and Frank Zappa. While not quite as musically accomplished as their influences, Cement (Mosley, guitarist Sean Maytum, bassist Senon Williams, and drummer Doug Duffy) still made a distinct noise that wasn't without its moments. Released in 1993, the band's self-titled debut is a quasi-metal free-for-all that signaled the group's musical abandon and fascination with the power and sensibility of rock music in its rawest form. The 1994 follow-up The Man With the Action Hair has plenty of garage experimentalism of its own and a little extra. This second disc has a slightly more focused (if occasionally repetitive) texture that Faith No More fans might more readily identify with. In general, Mosley and company do a fine job on both efforts, releasing the spirit of slam-bang groove rock without ever taking their work or themselves very seriously. Finding one of these discs at your local mega-electronics outlet will be difficult and hardly worth the work for many listeners. However, connoisseurs of West Coast pseudo-art rock who scour the Net and local used bins will feel rewarded upon the discovery of either Cement disc. There are probably a few now-old-skool indie rock fans interested in finding out exactly how a Mosley-led outfit sounds when the quirky singer is in full creative control of an ambitious, yet grounded, rock outfit. For them, Cement should be a very nice surprise. ~ Vincent Jeffries, Rovi

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