Second album by Sydney, Australia-based art/avant garde/prog rock collective Eunuchs, with vocalist Linus Hilton, drummer Kristo Langker, guitarist Enzo Legge, and a host of other musicians. Never heard their 2021 debut album ('The Castration of Gods') but after hearing this one, I think I need to check it out. First impression - this is one of the weirdest genre mash-ups I have heard of late. Although these guys are reminiscent of dozens of other bands, Eunuchs are impossible to pigeon-hole and classify. Singer Hilton channels numerous vocal personas in the prog-rock vein; I hear shades of Daevid Allen, Robert Wyatt, Pye Hastings, Richard Sinclair, Kevin Godley and more. Remember how weird Split Enz were when they started out (way, before "I Got You")? This is much, much stranger, and a lot more elaborate.
Thematically, the album serves as a sonic emblem of Sydney itself, unfolding as a melodic chronicle weaving tales of whispered lies, cunning ruses, elaborate scams, and maritime mishaps. Functioning as an anthology, the album reflects Eunuchs' impressions and interpretations of Sydney, a city celebrated as the most picturesque on earth. The music is much more elaborate than any prog-rock band of the '70s though, with a full horn section (and more!) that tackles both the normal and avant garde with a ferocity and virtuosity that would impress Frank Zappa. 'Harbour Century' is so far removed from any sort of pop music, yet the majority of it is accessible and hardly any of it is off-putting. Obviously a concept album (includes some spoken word, most notably on the 17:35 opus, "Heroin King") I don't think that it's important to buy into the concept to appreciate the album, as the music is quite enjoyable in its own right. The tracks on this album have a maturity and complexity in arrangement that is seldom found in music released by a group of young twenty-somethings. It will take much more than a listen or two to really get into this album, but the time investment certainly pays off in big dividends. Not for everybody, but if this review has maintained your interest so far, chances are really good you will L-O-V-E the Eunuchs' 'Harbour Century.' There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING out there like it.