http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/115343-experimental-dental-school-forest-field/

Shoko Horikawa and Jesse Hall, the duo known as Experimental Dental School, bring angular skronk and blissed-out whimsy in equal measures on its excellent new LP, Forest Field. The band’s devastatingly concise songwriting and unique chemistry begs for a larger audience—one that is as adventurous and in love with contrast as this pair. This hard-touring, resolutely DIY band from Portland, Oregon certainly deserves it. Much of the strength of Forest Field lies in the balance struck between Horikawa and Hall to produce something both pretty and ugly. While Hall’s metallic guitar tone and approach might suggest Gang of Four’s Andy Gill, his sharper edges meld with Horikawa’s playful drumming and vocal coo to create a singular sound. The drummer often avoids the most obvious drum patterns in favor of askew beats that add compelling tension and color. Employing their gifts in brief songs that abruptly shift, veer, and change tempo, the band’s ying-and-yang approach yields strikingly distinctive results.

The music on Forest Field is hard to categorize primarily because it revels in several different styles and moods. Tracks like “Earthquake” and “Tear Brush” jerk and spasm while others like “Royal Fantasy Snow” and “Now I Can Do Whatever I Want” float and drip like a swirling psychedelic cloud. These stylistic shifts might overwhelm lesser bands, but there’s nary a false note on the album. As such, Forest Field feels refreshingly organic—as brutal and beautiful as nature itself.

http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/the-flower-and-the-machine/Content?oid=1472431

SHOKO HORIKAWA and Jesse Hall are sprawled out on the grass of a Southeast park. There is wine. A little dog stomps through our interview. The sun is out. It's just about perfect. If there were ever a pair of musicians that can appreciate such a time, it's Experimental Dental School. Back in town after a Canadian tour, and prepping for yet another five-week American trek, Horikawa and Hall are undeniably content squinting beneath the soft haze of the summer sun.

But for Horikawa and Hall, it's not all lazy afternoons in the grass. In fact, it's two against the world. To them, Experimental Dental School is not a hobby, it's their life: They follow a daily practice regimen. They pack up a compact car—the true advantage of playing in a two-piece band—and spend weeks upon weeks crossing the American interstate grid. They board a plane and traverse Europe—where the band is best appreciated—and are preparing for their inaugural tour of Japan later this year. Hall best describes their move-or-die philosophy: "I'm not really happy unless we're playing or spending time writing."

It's a constant hustle for the relocated pair, who, in abandoning their hometown of Oakland, lost a band member in the process. Drummer Ryan Chittick remained in the Bay Area when the band headed north, but EDS failed to miss a beat, with Horikawa rotating to the kit as the band thinned down to a close-knit duo. After a pair of recordings that illustrated a sprawling range, but little direction, the latest incarnation of EDS released the superb Forest Field. While the 10-track album is available in tangible CD format, its main distribution point is as a free download (experimentaldental.com/free). "The idea, from the beginning, was 'let's give it away,'" says Hall. "Obviously that's not an original idea—that's being done a lot—but when I really thought about it, it's so awesome to be able to not have $10 stand in the way of somebody enjoying our music."

Forest Field is both caustic and gorgeous. Hall is all rough edges, a technically precise guitar/bassist—his custom-assembled guitar is modified with a lone bass string—with a rough and unyielding post-punk howl. He is the masculine foil to the amorous coo of Horikawa. Yet while her voice is left exposed amid the difficult time changes and technical wizardry of most EDS material, Horikawa holds her own behind the kit. A ferocious drummer with a tender voice—"I have an explosive side and a very soft side," she politely explains—Horikawa is the post-punk equilibrium to Hall's untamed recklessness, the balance that holds this duo together, and in the live setting she is one of the most entertaining figures you'll ever find onstage. The sheer skill and unbridled joy she expresses is enough to renew the faith of any doubter, those whose musical appreciation has numbed over the years.

A fragile balance is the crux of what EDS creates on Forest Field. A battle played out in song, the two dismantle their stiff arrangements (think meticulous blasts of math rock, akin to A Minor Forest), with a steady dose of visionary pop music (Blonde Redhead's Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons is a good comparison). "Shoko's personality is very different than mine," Hall explains. "She has more of a flower side, I have more of a machine side."

http://exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid2=850&fid1=41494&csid1=138

Forest Field
By Scott A. Gray

This talented twosome continue their streak of weird rock awesomeness with Forest Field. Experimental Dental School mine a musical vein somewhere between Sonic Youth and Deerhoof, consistently freakier and more inventive than the former and less scattered with virtuosic idiosyncrasies than the latter. Shoko Horikawa and Jesse Hall have hit upon a fresh and oddly accessible sound. Endearingly sloppy punk tendencies collide with a fearlessly experimental approach to riff construction and an uncanny ability to find melodic vocal hooks amidst the calculated chaos. Forest Field should capture fans with a taste for the Dismemberment Plan, but with enough exposure it might be possible for EDS to absorb a portion of the audience from arena-sized alt-rock bands like Queens of the Stoned Age. Their rate of creative growth, however, seems likely to assure a more intense cult following in league with fellow advancers of the Sonic Youth music meme Blonde Redhead. (Terrorbird)

http://www.indiemuse.com/2009/04/28/experimental-dental-school-forest-field-free/

Free stuff is sweet. Free music is even better. But like, free-free, artist-endorsed free. Especially when it’s killer art-rock. Portland duo Experimental Dental School is offering their album Forest Field for free at their website here. Forest Field is like giving Deerhoof a more discernible goal while dabbling in the Blonde Redhead male/female vocal dynamic. It’s like Pretty & Nice’s Get Young in that it makes you think about what you’re listening to, with super dense guitar-rock arrangements; angular leads flying over-head while a revolving door of synth and bass pours out churning subsections. It’s a record to go insane to, it’s a record to fall asleep to, and it’s probably a record to make really awkward love to.

“Square Wave Cave” progresses with an ominous guitar squeal reminiscent of Menomena’s “The Pelican.” As the fifth track on “Forest Field,” it acted as my first flashbulb moment of the night. The riff hit, the chorus sank, and something huge resonated. Two songs later, “Vicious Cycle of Life” opens with a sharp, arpegiated guitar and hushed female vocals. It’s the album’s only real come-down moment, before dropping into the reverbed drive of “Argentine Pears.” That resonance I mentioned from “Square Wave Cave”? It exploded with “Argentine Pears,” particularly due to the strange time and the chord change at 1:20. I’m a sucker for inexplicably captivating chord changes.

I’m sort of writing this on the fly, because I don’t want to think too hard. I think it might permanently hurt my brain. Get into it.

http://www.artrocker.com/node/15639

Occasionally something drops into the artrocker.com inbox that I end up clicking with instantly. The latest offering from the Experimental Dental School is just one such thing. ‘Forest Field’ sees them reduced from a trio to a ‘2 piece skronk’ outfit (whatever the hell that is), but reduced is probably the wrong word; I’d never have guessed that there was only the two of them from listening – probably just as well, as for various reasons I have a passionate hatred of two pieces.
The swirling sounds that come from all directions and angles on the record are reminiscent of the likes of Deerhoof, especially when Shoko’s vocals come in on the second track ‘Now I Can Do Whatever I Want’ and somewhat strangely, ‘Argentine Pears’ has got a similar sound to the unsigned FlashBang Band that we reviewed a few weeks ago. From reading other people talking about this group, I expected something far more chaotic and thundering, along the lines of Marnie Stearn or Ponytail, which isn’t the case. If you like the aforementioned, but would prefer less chaos and more melody (not bashing at all here for the record), then you’d do well to indulge in this album. Oh, and what luck! It’s all uploaded for free on the band’s site here: http://www.experimentaldental.com/free/

I almost wish I hadn’t heard this release now, as I’ve just blown yet more cash ordering their back catalogue on shiny vinyl from some obscure German website. All donations welcome.

Read more: http://www.artrocker.com/node/15639#ixzz0f1CrUzet

Shoko's interview in TOM TOM Magazine:

http://tomtommagazine.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/a-conversationinterview-with-shoko-horikawa-and-sara-magenheimer/

Blog reviews:

http://www.artrocker.com/node/20186
http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com
http://katarokkar.cribble.net
http://vanguardmindloop.blogspot.com
http://www.singinglamb.ca
http://blogs.wweek.com
http://www.bbqchickenrobot.com
http://blogs.denverpost.com

"Experimental Dental School are a radical skronk two-piece who somehow manage to sound much bigger than all that. Part of this thickness has to do with guitarist/singer Jesse Hall's cleverly designed, custom-built guitar rig. The signal is split into highs and lows, each coming from its own amp, and from a single guitar that blasts both honest, low bass tones and bright, jagged highs. His thumpy rhythms, finger-picking, shreds, and dives all mix once again in a sharp vocal tug-of-war. Then there's drummer/keyboardist/singer Shoko Horikawa, who is just simply phenomenal. Mashing the kit with jilted, explosive aplomb, Horikawa simultaneously adds keyboards and voice to the mix as well. Together the two thrash, crash, bounce, and occasionally glide like they've done it for years. But it hasn't always been this way. Before moving to Portland from Oakland, Experimental Dental School were a three-piece. When the drummer couldn't make the move, Horikawa (the keyboardist at the time) took on the work of two. And my god, she's holding it down and then some. Perhaps it's the way things were always meant to be. ART

-ANDREW R. TONRY, Portland Mercury

NY Times: CMJ: Likable Duo Ushers in Deerhoof
Experimental Dental School sounds neither as painful nor as comical as its name suggests. From Oakland, Calif., by way of Portland, Ore., this likably convulsive indie-rock band presently consists of just two members: Shoko Horikawa, on drums, and Jesse Hall, on guitar. They both sing, in a decidedly unstudied fashion, and revel in such things as woozy contrasts, sudden tempo shifts and surprisingly gnarly riffs.
No surprise, then, that the group is on tour with Deerhoof, a four-piece celebrated for some of the same musical devices. On Wednesday night at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, each band elicited cheers. (I missed Flying, the third band on the bill.)
Ms. Horikawa and Mr. Hall hail from the mountain-out-of-a-molehill school of indie-rock, and they’re both good enough musicians to pull it off. On “Don’t Cry Your Eyes Out,” the drumming was forceful but also subtle at times, and the guitar parts surged and ebbed. And there was something endearingly awkward about the band’s onstage personality: at one point Ms. Horikawa mentioned that she had just accidentally deleted a digital sample that was to have played a role in the next song. (Oops.)
By NATE CHINEN , NYTimes.com

::: CMJ 2008 Review on MTV2 bolg :::

Up next was Portland’s Experimental Dental School. The duo obviously had a few more years of performance under their belts. Lead vocalist and six-string slinger Jesse Hall delivered thick power chords and quick dissonant solos with the aid of his stack of three amps, the top most being crafted from an old white hard-shell suitcase. Put all that on top of drummer Shoko Koko El Loco’s heavy beats and quick fills.

MTV2 bolg, http://www.subterraneanblog.com

::: consequenceofsound.net "jane Doe Loves Me" review :::

Sometimes going to the dentist can be one of those moments of freaked out nervousness and unresolved tension, due to the fact that the unthinkable events at hand may take place. There’s the waiting in the lobby, then waiting in the office, then the dentist finally assists you after what seems to be an eternity of waiting. With all the tensions eventually washing off, the visit is over and your teeth feel better as a result of it. The same can be said about Portland, Oregon’s very own Experimental Dental School. For starters, much like the dentist’s office, the band provides lots of unresolved musical tensions and freaked out elements of brilliance, only to top itself off with some of the strangest, yet musically impressive melodies concocted within the past three years.

The Portland duo made up of Jesse Hall on guitars/vocals and Shoko Horikawa on drums and keyboard utilize a mixture of garage rock drums, seemingly out of tune guitars and broken keyboard passages, which resemble a thorny wasps’ nest. On their MySpace page, the band has a few of their songs posted which bring out the best in this young Portland group. One of those said tunes “Plant Plenty,” of off their newest record Jane Doe Loves Me, contains lots of garbled distorted guitars, lots of garage rock laden drums and keyboard fade ins and outs. Jesse Hall’s distant and disjointed vocals make the song swell with precision.

The overall feeling of this band resembles a cross between the UK’s Gang Of Four and the US’ Talking Heads with a whole lot of weird stuff from the Planet Mars thrown in for some extra efforts. Imagine the circus coming to town, except it’s nothing but a constant trapeze flying death trap extravaganza. Experimental Dental School by far would be the accompanying soundtrack to such a ferocious performance.

The Portland duo is currently gearing up for a tour with Deerhoof starting October 6th in Salt Lake City, Utah and ending in Tempe, Arizona on November 13th. If you’ve got a sweet tooth for experimental bands, then take a trip to Experiemental Dental School. School’s in session and this band certainly has a long semester worth of great performances to be expected.

Jay Ziegler, consequenceofsound.net

::::::From the http://www.bibabidi.com website:::::
"Experimental Dental School is one of the most exciting and stunning bands
I've heard in a while. 2008 is going to be great, man.
The Oakland, California trio is far from placeable;
they defy classification, although a few things can be safely said about
the organ-guitar-vocals group's aesthetic and sonic style. Imagine a more
scatterbrained Deerhoof or sharper, higher contrast second-coming of
Captain Beefheart. Whatever it is, Experimental Dental School is definitely
an art-rock outfit that has somehow slyly released three full-length albums
internationally without my knowledge! I feel so left out, so not on top of
what's pushing pop music forward.

Experimental Dental School is a group intimately
focused on constructing music from the bottom up. There's no predetermined
tone or genre that they apply to their songs (I can't imagine these three
saying anything like, "I just came up with this great hook -- let's
make a song out of it!"), but rather a desire to explore, simultaneously,
noise-rock, experimental guitar noodlings, jazzy and spazzy explosions, heavy
garage rock (turned upside down, flipped inside out), and percussive foot
stompers that all make you want to bounce around a concert venue, bedroom,
subway stop, whatever. There's a life and energy behind their work that's
rare and jaw-dropping ... "

:: Exclaim Magazine "Jane Doe Loves Me" review ::

There's nothing not to love about these 12 off-kilter stabs of exuberantly creative freak rock.
Bending the capabilities of their instruments beyond their limits, this trio of brazen sonic
explorers display no regard for the idioms of rock music. Sure, there are many other acts
who delve heavily into the experimental aspects of rock music but few achieve such wild
abandon without sacrificing distinctive melodies and an overall focus on great songwriting.
Jane Doe is far more tuneful an effort than the majority of albums by bands so intent on
writing outside the margins but is no less aggressive in its dissonant splurges of controlled
chaos. Shoko Horikawa's delicate voice is a helpful softening agent for the harsher edges
of EDS. Mellower reprieves like the slightly sinister summer carnival tromp of "Obscene
Back Porch Floating" and "Uh Huh - Na Uh" give Jane Doe enough breathing room to
withstand and appreciate Experimental Dental School's more invasive procedures.

—Scott A. Gray, Exclaim Magazine

:::: from Aquarian magazine :"Jane Doe Loves Me" review:::::

Experimental Dental School
Jane Doe Loves Me
Cochon
An offbeat look at the world, Experimental Dental School's third album is
anything but mundane.The seemingly nonsensical song titles are
misleading as there is actually a cleverly crafted intelligence woven into
the fabric each song.This experimental art rock trio paints a variety of
uniquely abstract lyrics with metaphorical depictions of animals, machines
and ghosts to express themes of nonconformity, reincarnation, sexuality,
vices, existentialism, and religious agnosticism.The two instrumental tracks,
"Ski's Mini Moo"and "Zeroeth Birthday" allow listeners to take a breather from
the lyrically based songs by providing the album with atmospheric backgrounds
that are just as imaginative as the songs with lyrics. The music is masterfully
orchestrated with deliberate attempts to evade predictable song structures.
The songs change time signatures and moods without warning, yet
appropriately done so with the inclusion of bizarre and obscure sounds of
computers, animals, and other unconventional noises.These random
atmospheric sounds are often utilized through various effects pedals along
with dissonant chord choices on both organ and guitar-o-bass.Overall, their
sound is a nod to Frank Zappa that succeeds in maintaining its own unique
qualities that uncannily work well.As the band's name hints, this is an
experiment unlike any other.

In a Word: Bold
Grade: A-

-by Aidan Castori

:::::::::::::::::::http://www.epasatiempo.com/.::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Jane Doe Loves Me" review

EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL Jane Doe Loves Me ( Cochon Records) This
"Jane Doe Loves Me opens with the title track, a barnburner with guitars, keyboards, and various alien sounds chasing the vocals around every corner and dark alley. “Obscene Back Porch Floating” provides a brief respite from the sonic onslaught with bizarre samples crashing a dreamlike and deceptively simple acoustic party."

" this is a strong effort, one in which each listen reveals new paths of melody or rhythm from the first song to the last. "— Robert Benziker

http://www.epasatiempo.com/

:::::::::::::::::::from the New School Free Press.::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Jane Doe Loves Me" review

Experimental Dental School specializes in a radical and improper kind of surgery. The guitar slithers and spurts. The keyboard spirals out of control. A man shouts, then a woman coos. The drums constantly stray from the standard boom-chuck. Eventually, the very idea of rock 'n' roll is torn asunder. And even sludge monsters playing Napalm Death covers with Casiotone keyboards couldn't have done better.

It's no surprise that this trio, with three full-length albums under its belt, originated in Japan and now hails from Oakland, California. Japanese legends like Melt Banana specialize in blistering clamor, while Bay Area stalwarts like Deerhoof focus on intricate songcraft. Experimental Dental School traverses both ends of the spectrum, yielding spectacular results.

"Jane Doe Loves Me" review

:::::::::::::::::::from the Tastes Like Chicken Blog.::::::::::::::::::::::::

EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL – JANE DOE LOVES ME (Cochon Records)
EDS’s brand of schizophrenic art rock harbors many of the same elements that make bands like Deerhoof and Melt Banana sound incredible. And no, I’m not just talking about Asian band members. Honestly though, all jokes aside, go buy this album.
RATING: FIVE STARS
http://www.tlchicken.com/

:::::::::::::::::::from "The Owl" Magazine.::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Jane Doe Loves Me" review

NEW EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL DROPS 5/13
Fresh off a tour with San Francisco band Deerhoof, Oakland band Experimental Dental School is back with a new album. The trio's unique blend of music combines organ sounds, dance beats and guitar riffs to formulate a special hypnotic version of artistic rock 'n' roll. Two of the bands members, organist Shoko Horikawa (originally from Japan) and guitarist Jesse Hall, bring a fresh perspective on indie rock, which reflects in their earlier releases.

http://www.theowlmag.com/features.asp?id=146

:::::::::::::::::::from http://warpmart.com :::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Experimental Dental School are another band from Portland who seem to be pushing experimental pop and rock right out to the edges. It must be something in the water. Produced by Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, their idiosyncratic music sounds like a mixture of Battles, Devo and prog rock with a penchant for dayglo 8 bit electronics. It's full on stuff, chopping and changing course several times within one song, only slowing down for respite at a few points, but it's incredibly dense and you'll find fresh things in it for a while

:::::::::::::::::::from the UK's Organ Magazine issue #257 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Jane Doe Loves Me" review

ALBUM OF THE WEEK EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL – Jane Doe Loves Me (Cochon) –
Ah yes, more microscope lab voices and obscene back porch floating
from the most experimental dental school of them all, we were looking
forward to this one. They moved from Oakland to Portland and they did
again. Bendy - seriously bendy pointy pronky jazzy new wave and
complex Devo shapes and Casiotones and machines that are
programmed for questions and get away from that door people mover. Deerhoofs and striking discordance and broken machines being hit by guitar riffs and all going off and things. Things that never stand still, an ever evolving revolving sound. Here a honk, there a clang and a guitar-o-bass (a custom built low tuned guitar with bass strings) and ice creams and machines and different coloured animals and giraffes that probably run oh so very fast if you want to catch one you had better take a net. Shoko Horikawa sings like a bird and all the joined up bits are wonderfully disjointed in such an unobvious way – and it is all so obvious although only they could have thought of it and yes they do keep going off and things and they're all over the place and ghosts may hide in corners and sing inside them but none of it would work if the songs weren't so good, are we making sense here? Uh huh, na hu, think the alt-rock roller-coaster quirk of Melt Banana or Deerhoof or Devo or Mr Bungle and you'll'be someway near a bus that might just take you near there and you know what, this is 2008, you don't need anymore words from us, here's the link, here's the stars and a saucer to drink from and pinchy and precarious and upbeat and colourful and smiles ever wider than the most friendly of crocodiles and plant plenty, and they did it again – I think we love even more than last time – www.experimentaldental.com or find it in the UK via www.cargorecords.co.uk - and you can treat yourself to some 2006 live You Tube footage here. http://organart.com/

::::::::::: from Seattle's The Stranger weekly newspaper::::: Show Preview

Experimental Dental School (Ryan Brundage on drums, Shoko Horikawa
on Casio and sampler, Jesse Hall on guitar and vocals) come from the same
experimental musical school as fellow Bay Area bands Numbers and Deerhoof,
whose Greg Saunier helped mix the band's new album, Jane Doe Loves Me.
Like Numbers, EDS stick forks in analog synth sockets and gets nasty, electric
sawtooth-wave shocks. Like Deerhoof, they pair their noisier bent with delicately
off-kilter pop, switching from merry-go-round lilt to prog scales to punk gallop.
But EDS's spark-spitting broken toys and rewired electronics give their songs a
distinct peripheral flurry of buzzes, chirps, squeals, and burps.

ERIC GRANDY –thestranger.com

"Jane Doe Loves Me" review

:::::::::::::::::::from Electronic Voice Phenomenon::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://elecvp.blogspot.com/2008/05/reviewed-experimental-dental-school.html

XDS have sprung forth from the frothy canals of California's growing kitchen sink indie scene. What was once the haven for the sounds of Big Sur, psychedelia and heavy metal has slowly turned into a territory where those genres have ended up in a broth of unidentifiable din agitated by an industrial blender powered by rolling blackouts, tabloid rags, and vapid consumerism.

Ryan, Jesse, and Shoko (burrito fetish aside) have condensed the racket of California materialism and advocate nihilism into a high-energy, dance-crazed third album: Jane Doe Loves Me. Much like the album's forgetfully lost namesake, XDS look to put the zaniness of their surroundings into their music, much like their noise-making brothers and sisters-in-arms.

Much of the album finds the trio mining much of the same quick-yet-epic territory of Deerhoof and while such comparisons are accurate (right down to the Asian female voice), Jane Doe Loves Me is far heavier than any recent Deerhoof output; not to mention XDS clearly have a melodic goal in mind rather than just bashing out angular (although catchy) riffs. XDS are more influenced by new wave than by cuteness and indie experimentation for its own sake.

Experimental may be 1/3 of the band's name--and they hold up that end up the moniker--but don't be fooled into thinking Jane Doe Loves Me is stab in the dark tactics to be 'experimental.' These are highly controlled songs all the while maintaining a sense of spontaneity. This won't be an album for the masses and it won't be an album for the ever-growing flock of devotees to the Seussical stylings of The Smell's recent alum. It carves its own niche with each passing listen and is preparing to launch XDS into their own stratospheres crack.

REVEIW ON PAPER THIN WALLS::::::::::::::::::::::::"Jane Doe Loves Me" review

http://www.paperthinwalls.com/singlefile/item?id=1579

Another entry in our seemingly never ending post-Arab On Radar spazzo skronkdown, but delivered with a hug and a smile. Penetrating art-wheedle delivered with an affability and friendliness and a cute dolphin photo and two people that actually sing real melodies, Experimental Dental School are destined to be the popular kids-the Molly Ringwald to Pre's misfit Ally Sheedy, AIDS Wolf's delinquent Judd Nelson, Daughters' jocky Emilio Estevez and The Planet The's geeky Anthony Michael Hall. Do they want to be Pterodactyl (verse) or Peeping Tom (chorus) or Brainiac (probably)? Ten years in the game, Deerhoof can make a similar mush-up of bonkerbatter and pop-hop seem seamless. So is "Jane Doe Loves Me" the scrappy, punk rock beginnings of our next avant-rock hero? Or just another synthy no-wave trifle to have a vague memory of seeing performed in a basement or linked on a friend's blog in 2008, the year you really noticed how young everyone is getting? It's a great three-minute gamble.

Experimental Dental School guitarist Jesse Hall on "Jane Doe Loves Me"

What is this song about?
"These songs are usually a collage of feelings. Vaguely, it's about two people being depressed, but depressed about two different things. I find it difficult to explain a song's meaning without sounding completely infantile... but they definitely have meaning. Maybe only to me. I can tell you the words came from two specific places. Shoko had a hairdresser that would go on and on about how ghosts were visiting her at night, having sex with her, and even warning when the iron was left on. Pretty nice ghosts. But the haircuts weren't exactly on the mark-kind of ghostly. The chorus "Jane Doe Loves Me" comes from a painting-which is in the disc tray or our CD-done by Edward Robinson. He is 70 and we met him on tour, yard-sale-ing paintings, all of people who died in different ways. "

Tell me about the synthwolfbird on the cover of your album
"The album cover is a combination of XDS members. Shoko is the wings and keyboard. Ryan is the horse legs. Maybe I am the eyes"... - CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTEN

SHOKO LOVE FOR BURRITIO WAS FEATURED ON THE FOOD NETWORK'S BANDS PAGE:http://blogs.foodnetwork.com/food/simonsays/

Angular art-rock trio Experimental Dental School--who perhaps play around in the same kitchen sink as Deerhoof--make music that sometimes sounds like it's been cranked out of a meat grinder: it's gritty, messy, but still cohesive. Their Jane Doe Loves Me album is coming out next week, and you might find the band's Shoko Horikawa celebrating this feat with burritos.

For Horikawa, a Japan native, there was a time when burritos were a novelty. Her first experiences with them were at a fast-food joint and in a dorm room, so it wasn't until moving to San Francisco's Mission district that she gained an appetite for the Mexican delicacy. Now residing in Portland, Horikawa's appreciation for burritos has grown. "Before I moved up here, I didn't expect too much from Oregon burritos," she says. "But I was wrong. There is this really good Mexican place called Taqueria Los Gorditos. My favorite is filled with tofu, and it's so good that I can't chit chat or do anything but enjoy the great time with my burrito."

And, in case you are curious about translations, Horikawa's done some sleuthing: "I found out that the word 'burrito' literally means ‘little donkey.'"

::::::::::::::::Ryan's blog from the Modern Drummer website:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://www.moderndrummer.com/modern-drummer-blogs/

reetings to modern drummers worldwide. My name is Ryan Brundage, and I play drums for the Oakland based art-rock band Experimental Dental School. Working with E.D.S. has definitely been one of the most challenging and rewarding musical experiences of my life, and has also afforded me the privilege of touring the US and Europe extensively. Playing in such a wildly creative band allows me to experiment with different sounds, techniques, and time signatures like never before.

I am now and have always been influenced by a very wide variety of art and music. Growing up, I mainly listened to punk, metal, death rock/goth, and new wave, and in years since it's been avant-garde black metal, '60s-era free jazz, noise/ambient, and '70s kraut rock, just to name a few genres. It's my ultimate goal to fuse all of these concepts and styles into what I play and do artistically. I've never actually taken any sort of drum lessons, instead opting for the D.I.Y. approach to every instrument that I've learned to play. Luckily, I have a very supportive mother and father who let (and encouraged) me to beat on the skins in their basement incessantly for hours from age ten through eighteen.

In some ways I feel like lessons on proper technique can hinder some peoples' creative abilities. Of course this is not always the case for everyone, but who hasn't met a "killer" guitar player who can play anything and shred wicked solos all day but can't write a good song? And then you have people like Robert Smith of The Cure who was technically inept but wrote insanely creative and lasting pop songs of all varieties. Most of my favorite music is a little more on the imaginative side rather than the technical.

I've always embraced the notion that "pro" gear will never help you be a good player. In fact, I still love the sound of some janky equipment, especially mics and guitar amps. If you can play well on a crappy kit (European tour), you will only sound better on a nice one.

This concept was reiterated to me tenfold while on tour with Deerhoof last year and watching drummer Greg Saunier completely rip on the most stripped down, non "pro" set that I've ever seen-while sitting on a milk crate. Incidentally, Greg is one of my absolute favorite modern drummers, along with Jesse Applehans of Upsilon Acrux/Bad Dudes (whose set I am playing on in the photo above while on a recent tour with Bad Dudes). I have learned more from watching those two play night after night on tour than from almost anything else.

Despite my love for less than ideal gear, I bought a five-piece '72 Ludwig kit a few years ago, and it pretty much rules. Huge kick, huge floor, and a giant and booming classic-rock Bonham-like tone. Recently I have stripped down my cymbal setup and now play with only one hi-hat and one very expensive Istanbul ride/crash. The variety and complexity of tones within that cymbal are amazing, and eventually convinced me to shelf my other two crashes. It took me years (and a lot of convincing by my bandmates) to realize that sometimes less is more with regards to cymbal setup, especially in a live environment. I'm sure that any seasoned musician would agree that the use of time and space (learning when and what not to play) is invaluable, and only comes with years of practice and experience. I have only recently begun to TRULY realize the importance of this concept, after twenty-two years of playing, and I am once again reminded that there is always something to learn no matter how good you feel you are.

We finished recording our third album, Jane Doe Loves Me, a few months ago and finally released it in the US on April 1. It is by far the best piece of work that I've ever been associated with, and we're all very proud of the way it turned out. It took almost two years to realize because we all had ridiculously high standards...we would work on some songs for weeks and then one day just scrap them, realizing that said song just wasn't quite good enough for the record. Jesse (guitar/vocals) and I spent a few all-night twelve-hour sessions in our practice space, employing a method in which we would attempt to write twenty songs and record them all in one twelve-hour period. At one point in the night, five or six hours into it, our brains would sort of reach a new level of consciousness due to such mental fatigue, and then the really good ideas would flow. Some of our best song ideas were spawned from these sessions, and a couple of them even made it onto the album almost in their entirety.

The initial tracks were recorded in the legendary all-analog Tiny Telephone studios in San Francisco for that all-important warm drum, organ, and guitar tone. All of the overdubs were done via Pro Tools in our studio in Oakland, and the utmost care was put into not only the sound and feel of the tones, but also mic placement in the room and around the amps. Jesse would spend hours and hours down at the studio just moving the mic a little bit and then testing...a little more and then testing...and so on. The results were truly amazing, and we are all very happy with the outcome of the songs as well as the artwork.

We're now enjoying a much-needed break after this exhaustive recording and equally exhaustive recent month-long European tour. Now we can kick back and watch our bank accounts grow from our millions of dollars in CD sales. Oh, I forgot to mention that that's why I started playing drums in the first place. Thank you to Modern Drummer for letting me ramble on and on...later days...'til next time. Go forth and create.

"Jane Doe Loves Me" review

;:::::stereo subversion.review:::::::::::::::http://www.stereosubversion.com/album-reviews/experimental-dental-school/

Spastic, blasting angular grinds define the damaged chromosome output of Oakland, California's Experimental Dental School. Not as punishing as their name suggests, the sugary power trio dwell loudly in overamplified whimsy. The squiggly, yet doom obsessed Jane Doe Loves Me serves as the unwieldy bouncing band's third full length.

Superficially, instrumentation seems simple with driving organ, samples, guitar and drums. How these instruments are used is an entirely different story as manic depressive intensity rules heavy-handed. Songs will violently sprint - all the instruments attacking each other in a padded room. Song progressions possess a wondrous wounding tendency to swoop into strange reflective valleys where acoustic guitars and soft, soothing vocals melt seductively out of the ether, especially those by Shoko Horikkawa. One will be worn out or energized by the frantic energy packed in each three minute song.

A rattling temper tantrum of junky percussion begins "What Ghosts See" before sonically lurching forward with a stomping guitar rhythm, while an organ bleeps and percolates like an old time sci-fi sound track rendered. Such eyes to detail bring the listener back looking for more eccentric details. Everything in this song seems to have a five second solo - the organ has a very brief circus, show off moment, while a drum solo branches into an odd military march.

The album obsesses with ghosts and wide spread planetary doom through an individual perspective. Opener "Jane Doe Loves Me" has lines like "Many ghosts have sex with me/ Now they warn catastrophe." Towards the album's end, "Lord's Lap" mutters out "The lord is a horny ghost/ very professional/ very omni-versatile." The album's themes depict a dystopia where everything is digitally downloadable from ghosts to the holy spirit. Heavily processed moments of monotone vocals reinforce the hijinx of this strange collision.

A strange anthem that's too clunky to ever commit to memory, "Plant Plenty" illustrates hollowed utopian images turning militant, drowned in the thick teeth cavity provoking of a pinkish purple cotton candy world. The song sports the albums most disquieting lyrics: "Tags on whales then on me/ Leads to mass conformity/ Switch-blade teeth then tigers happy/ Then we know we'll plant plenty." The band was wise to print the lyrics in the sleeve to be able to appreciate the lyrical nuances as they can easily be lost in the rushing mania onslaught of the song(s). When hearing the sound of the vocals, one feels you're at an underground resistance pep rally or reprogramming facility. Heavily affected guitar riffs sound simultaneously like rockabilly mimicking sirens. The song is just plain weird as one can almost detect a Native American tribal vibe. Organ explores free jazz blurps as well as circus carnie drugginess.

Jane Doe Loves Me ends appropriately with a dark malfunctioning lullaby. Galloping lo-fi percussion of indeterminable origin is haloed and hovered over by digital squiggles and a loopy keyboard dementia that could also be amplified glass bowls as well. Everything is not as it seems. The bizarre swirling psychedelia reminds one of a gooey eyed mutant part squid, part infant and part cyborg.

"Jane Doe Loves Me" review ::::::::: From http://www.sfgay.org ::::::::::::::::::::

"In their latest album, Jane Doe Loves Me, the pop group explores sounds that are reminiscent of everything from an old school Nintendo game to a Fellini film.

One thing Experimental Dental School is not lacking is an unbridled whirlwind of creativity and abelief that anything can be possible when making an album. The group hails from Oakland, California where they use eclectic instruments backed up with a guitar, organ and drum, to create their bizarre and unique art rock. Ryan Brundage's beats underline Shoko Horikawa's tornado riffs and Jesse Hall's guitar mayhem. The band might strike a chord with Devo or Deerhoof fans looking for a new and perhaps more quirky fix. In fact, Greg Saunier of Deerhoof even helped the Experimental Dental School kids mix Jane Doe Loves Me. " "there are a few gems in the chaos of this relentless album, where a few songs do disembark from clangs and robot sounds and seek out a straightforward acoustic melody instead.

"Uh Huh-Na Uh" is a charming harmony that gives the listener a break from the experimental throbbing. The whimsical "Back Porch Floating" is also a display of a more harmonious moment in an otherwise clattered album. The bass and organ give structure to "Plant Plenty," as "Zeroeth Birthday" has a touch of jazz to it.

If anything Dental School knows variety and although they might have a signature experimental sound they also have enough flexibility to reach out to a surprisingly broad audience. Jane Doe Loves Me is a lesson in variety."

-Nora Ballard

I think this is the closest I can get to a description, but I can assure you that at least to me seeing them live was close to a revelation. "

www.yellowisthenewpink.com

Aquarius Records

2 1/2 Creatures review

At times wild and dissonant but surprisingly upbeat and catchy, Experimental Dental School's second full-length album is as fun and clever as it is categorically indefinable, pulling from such a spectrum of genres and styles that merely hyphenating a string of descriptive words together simply wouldn't do it justice.

2 1/2 Creatures’ opening song "Our Blood is Laughing" introduces all the hallmarks of the EDS sound: herky-jerky tempos, led by a dancing, loopy calliope organ with a crunchy rhythm section in support, and a mid-song diversion into dissonant samples and noise. Scratchy, distorted vocals act much like another rhythm instrument. Fast-paced and driving, it could be the soundtrack to a careening car chase in a slapstick silent movie. The next track, "Be Nice to Mankind," introduces more guitars into the mix, which in this case results in a great, early-new-wave sound in the vein of Thomas Dolby or the Buggles.

Tossing these basic elements together with trumpet, banjo, tape-loop samples and found-object percussion, the album traipses wildly through a creepy funhouse nightmare like a Frank Zappa circus sideshow, mashing punk energy with jazz structures and gypsy polka melodies with funk noise experimentation. Like each turn of the corner in the funhouse, what comes next from moment to moment is frequently a complete surprise. Some songs, like "Spring has Sprung" or "Bermuda Triangle Mind", have a spooky movie-soundtrack flavor, while others suggest the exciting, oversized carnival experience of a slightly intimidated, wide-eyed child.

Though the limited range of the calliope organ can sound repetitive from one song to the next, the frenetic energy and sheer unpredictability of the songs more than compensates. The mish-mash of sounds often feels on the brink of complete mayhem, but rarely loses sight of an underlying structure. Vocal-oriented songs like "Poison Reverb" and "A Seal is a Shark's Meal" stay close to a standard verse/chorus/verse construction, and even the purely instrumental piece "Looks Like Noize" maintains a sense of organization and purpose.

performermag.com

2 1/2 Creatures Review

Many terrible rock records have been released in the name of art. But for every such failure there emerges a record by a band, such as Experimental Dental School, that creates music filled with vision, wit, and vitality.
On 2 1/2 Creatures, the group incorporates noise, samples, fuzzed-out punk-jazz guitar, cheesy organ, and roller coaster drums on heavily caffeinated tunes that move from polkas to Beatles pop. On "Our Blood Is Laughing," Primus-style riffs meet Middle Eastern minor scales and musique concrète to great effect. Organist Shoko Horikawa steals an arpeggio from the Beatles as guitarist-vocalist Jesse Hall and drummer Ryan Chittick thrash away on the dramatic waltz "Po!son Reverb." Another highlight, "A Little Bird Told Me," features producer Greg Saunier on drums, trumpeter Matt Volla, and noisemaker Stephen Barkley for a slice of modernist pop that takes Elvis Costello and the Attractions' Armed Forces to its logical conclusion. The bizarre noises and explosive bridges of "2nd Wing" bring the Horikawa-sung Tin Pan Alley verses into the urban present with touching results. In the end, the record succeeds because of its ability to fuse musicality to its disparate test tube ideas. That's their great feat on the record: They make the unknown grippingly familiar.

Alex K. Fong, SF BAY GUARDIAN

2 1/2 Creatures Review

"Nocturnal neo no-wave that parallels their debut, Hideous Dance Attack! These highly theatrical art-punks relish rhythmic calamity as much as melodic structure with peculiar verse, for example, Your Tears Are My Ice Cream or a Seal Is a Shark's Meal. What’s really fascinating is that 2 1/2 Creatures spawns intimidating chilly experimental music, laced with surreal samples, trumpet and even banjo, epitomizing weirdness and a keen sense of cool in one fell swoop!"

Eli Ellsworth, http://www.agoutimusic.com

2 1/2 Creatures Review

This three-piece noise outfit offers an abrasive atmospheric punch to the temple – a little dancy, a lot noisy, but most definitely a party. The drums and keyboard noises are some of the most creative combinations I’ve heard in a long time"
" All in all this record kicks an unreasonable amount of ass, and it leaves me desperately confused searching for adjectives and meat tenderizers with equal fruition." - Ryan Powers, Slug Magazine

2 1/2 Creatures Review

Rather amazing art-rock a bit like Deerhoof or the Mae Shi I guess. This album is so much fun, I discover new parts of it every time I listen. Equally danceable and difficult but never losing focus, this is one of those records that I want to put on tape for people and say hey, listen to this! Distorted talky vocals, lyrics about animals, the odd awesome trumpet blast, quirky keyboards and other such stuff that Tony Era would probably laugh at me for listening to. It's an acquired taste, if I put it on at work people would probably call it 'weird', which it is, to an extent, but that is the beauty of it; it never goes where you expect and never lets you relax. 'A Seal is a Shark's Meal' is probably my favourite track but every one is a winner really

Gareth L, www.collective-zine.co.uk

2 1/2 Creatures review

"Excellent stuff really. All these songs are so good and you could say weird too, but everything just fits. And that's the beauty of this band. Nothing is too fabricated or done with a big plan (at least it doesn't sound like it) to be the strangest band around the block. I really dig these cats yeah, and you should too." 

http://www.mashnote.net

Best of The Bay 2004

"If you haven't checked out EDS's debut album, Hideous Dance Attack!!!, do so immediately! And if you haven't seen them play, check out the Web site for their next Bay Area show."

-SF BAY GUARDIAN

http://www.bestofthebay.com/2004/nightlife.html

"providing the evolutionary link between Deerhoof and Devo, sweeping up Tom Waits and the Talking Heads in the process, eds kick up a furious racket over the 10 tracks of hideous dance attack!!!. Equal parts sci-fi skonk, avant-garage and spazz funk, the oakland trio's second full-length finds them perched atop a precariously chruning wave of careening and churning organ, rolling drums jagged guitar-o-bass"..

"album cycles back and forth through its melodic motifs so dizzyingly that they shake off most comparisons. All in all, it's an album more successful for its inspired myopia than its conventional pop charms, but if EDS seems eager to prove anything, it's that they are in no way beholden to conventions."

Skyscraper Magazine

"Hideous Dance Attack" review:

"XDS did their homework on noise music and the history of the avant-garde, and it shows. Rather than drown in the cauldron, XDR bubbles to the brink of unrestrained experimentation while holding onto the last few hairs of conventional pop music, writing songs that are both cohesive and unpredictable."
-- Dave Madden, Splendid

http://www.splendidezine.com

"Hideous Dance Attack" review:
"At some point they just decided that playing horse noises while they bang on their organ and abuse their whammy bar kind of kicks ass. They were right, but it's more than just successful gimmickry. There are enough violent mood swings and spliced meters to keep you engaged well after the initial novelty has worn off."

-Tiny Mixed Tapes

"Hideous Dance Attack" review:

"Like many, if not most bands from the area, Oakland's Experimental Dental School don't quite fit in with any other bands. This guitar-drum-organ trio uses a wide variety of samples and strange objects turned into musical instruments to create their sound, to surprising and pleasing effect. The band's full-length debut, Hideous Dance Attack!!! was recently released to excited, if not baffled critical acclaim."
--Dusted Magazine

more...
http://www.dustedmagazine.com

"it's is easy to understand why the band's music sends their fans into hysterics at their live shows."

-- Stephen Cramer, All Music.com
http://www.allmusic.com

EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL - HIDEOUS DANCE ATTACK LP    (tcwtga)
"right in time for their european tour, comes the vinylrelease of the first album by this amazing trio from san francisco: with guitar, keyboards and drums they produced 11 songs of carnivalesque polka-punk-rock. sounding like jon spencer, mr.bungle and the butthole surfers all being rounded up into one freaky rock-show..."

http://www.releasethebats.com/main.html

Hideous Dance Attack!!! review

this was one of my favorite records of last summer, and it has all the merits of a great summer record--all the songs are infectiously good and most are danceable and make the perfect soundtrack for cruising through the city on a beautiful day. this is the official release of this record, which has been available locally from the band for a little over a year. these guys have been playing shows and parties in oakland, ca, and the whole us for more than a couple of years now and this record totally captures the chaos and enthusiasm that ensues at their shows. they are often described as having a noisy carnival sound, but to me, they sound more like a circus oncrack, but in a really good way. play track 8 w/ deeerhoof (this is my favorite!), play track 9 w/calexico, play tracks 1,2,3,4,6 w/ extra action or spider compass or any of your other favorite chaotic rock freak out bands, these are the dance traxx!!!! you will not be disappointed with this record!!!!

-Noella Marie, KUSF review

"Seeing them is like being transported to some brothel in the 70's in New York's underground tunnel/ art rock scene. You feel very special and content watching this debaucerously freaky circus rock show amalgam. This is the cream of the crop in rock show hooliganism."

-Travis Wuerthner, N x N Review

Artical Ran 11-27-2002 Dark Carnival Throw more oddballs on the fire: Experimental Dental School. BY "Experimental Dental School subverts garage rock not unlike the Cramps, only instead of sleazy horror flick and Russ Meyer fetishes, XDS takes its cues from absurd carnivals and sci-fi, cobbling together campy sounds, onstage antics, gloomy disco, and intense time changes like three mad-scientist carnies huddled together in the back room of a record store. " " danceability is interrupted often, and complicated by layers of noise, ingenious samples, and mysterious sound sources processed through Rube Goldberg effects. Despite her solemn stage demeanor, Shoko Horikawa's organ stylings lean toward the whimsical, sounding at times like the folk music from some unnamed Eastern European nation, and at others like the theme from The Munsters. There's a strong Tom Waits effect to the XDS sound, but Waits has never rocked as convincingly or consistently as XDS does on its debut full-length, Hideous Dance Attack. "

-Stefanie Kalem, East Bay Express

More..
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/2002-11-27/music.html/1/index.html

"At times, the real show is stranger than the dreams that they weave. Take, for example, the skill with which Mr. Hall wields a small silver dildo against his six-string, only to drop it to the floor a moment later. It vibrates all the way across the room into a neglected corner, while he turns to sing into a bullhorn aimed at the guitar's pick-ups. Shoko stares ahead like a marionette, striking organ keys with Houdini-precision and ritualistic cadence. Behind her, Ryan grins wickedly and tweaks his moustache.

--Nathan Carson, Portland Mercury

More..
http://www.portlandmercury.com/2002-08-08/music.html

The Noise Parade Ex-Chicoans Experimental Dental School return with more mutated circus dance noise---
BROKEN SLURPEE MACHINE LOVE Robotic, off-time waltz rhythms and electronic-sample-based found sounds are just a few of the quirks that make Experimental Dental School one of the most creative rock acts ever to cut its teeth in Chico. Pictured from top: Shoko "El Loco" Horikawa, Jesse Hall (aka Buddie 456ula) and Ryan Chittick (aka BuickBot) will be performing dynamic electronic originals "Tractor Loves to Shuck Some Cows" and "Taco Chakra" (about the evils of junk food and addictive relationships) as well as new tunes such as "I Wanna Be Your Tina Turner" from their upcoming album, Hideous Dance Music, at Moxie's Cafe on July 27.

--Chris Baldwin, Chico News & review

http://www.newsreview.com/issues/chico/2002-07-25/music.asp

Hideous dance attack
The company with the golden arm
With carnival and all everyone is already dressed up and hopefully intoxicated enough to go crazy with some polka-surf-cabaret as a soothing soundtrack. Yes! Because initially you will be left in shock, then get over it and let yourself go to the bumping rhythm, the creepy yet fun organ and that horsy that says hello from time to time (i kid you not). I don't really know with what i compare this to, i don't necessarily have to, but think somewhere between the rah bras, pleasure forever and a bad goth record will do, just to give you somekind of clue.
After some listens i enjoyed this (at first i just had to laugh real loud though), and i everytime i put it on, my girlfriend looks at me with that 'time to get out of the house' look. Perfect for your punk weddings and psychedelic evenings which should not have to make any sense at all.

http://www.mashnote.net

You're tossing and turning in your sleep. A nightmare. You're in your bed, in your room. But it's not your room. It's a carnival fun-house. A band is playing the most beautiful music ever heard...in a nightmare. The singer sounds like Jello Biafra, but it's not Jello Biafra. Dreams are like that.

http://www.3hive.com/archives/experimental/index.html

With a mini-megaphone, a hat-mounted knife and other ways of making his guitar sing, Experimental Dental School singer Jesse Hall took his instrument to creative heights. Who said punk has to be in mindless 4/4? With a variety of waltzes and 6/8 rhythms, and a range of dynamics that included quirky Casiotone polkas to downright raw punk anthems, there was not a dull moment in this set.

North East Observer LA, CA

"I cannot impress upon you how important it is that next time experimental dental school is playing, you go see them. imagine if john spencer had elected to explode pirate music instead of the blues. that's kind of what's going on here."

http://wayneplacerecords.com

7_inch_review-split w/ Limited Express

"Each of the bands' offerings makes for a good introduction. Experimental Dental School's "Poison Reverb" is a jaunty organ romp with distorted vocals that'll have you bouncing around like mad"

Splendid ezine

Interview with The Synthesis magazine

My first encounter with Experimental Dental School was in the fall of 2002. With a term like “unique” being bandied about so readily these days, it’s difficult to emphasize what a beautifully idiosyncratic sound they possessed. Comprised of Shoko Horikawa, a stony-faced woman churning out campy waltz tunes on her Casio organ and vocalist/mad guitar-scientist Jesse Hall, the group effectively captivated a roomful of stunned onlookers with their brand of mangled circus-pop. Now with the addition of drummer Ryan Chittick, Experimental Dental School has hit their stride.
more...
http://www.synthesis.net/music/feature.php?bid=667&fid=3575

Germany

EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL-HIDEOUS DANCE ATTACK!!!-LP
Schwer einzuordnen! Irgendwo zwischen Kirmesorgel, Giant Ant Farm, Varieté, World Inferno Friendship Society, Les Savy Fav auf Drogen, Kettenkarrussell und hysterischem Irrsinn, der tanzbar ist. So, das Ganze jetzt in Musik umgesetzt und es passt. Nichts für schwache Nerven oder Stoiker, eher für die Zappelphillips,  tanzwütige Regelzeitstudenten und Soundtüftler, die den ganzen Tag Zeit haben, sich ein Lied zehnmal im Laden anzuhören, um dann doch eine anspruchsvollere Platte zu kaufen. Definitv anspruchsvoll, zugepackt mit Ideen und einer alles dominierenden Zeltlagerorgel. Langweilige Platte hat dieses Label auch noch nicht veröffentlicht, alle Achtung! 
(The Company with the golden Arm).
http://www.bobtorture.de/reviews/review_maerz_april_2004.html

Germany

EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL - Hideous Dance Attack CD (The Company With The Golden Arm)
Experimental Dental School ist ein Trio aus Oakland, dass sich offensichtlich der “Do It Yourself! Idee ” verschrieben hat. Deshalb kommt „Hideous Dance Attack“ auch in schmucker Aufmachung, Karton plus roter (Selbst-)Druck, daher, ebenso charmant, verquer und chaotisch fällt die Musik aus. Als Vergleich fallen mir sogleich Mr. Bungle ein. Zwar werden jetzt einige „Punks“ beim Namen Mike Patton abwinken, das ändert aber nichts an der Tatsache, dass „Hideous Dance Attack“ ein Menge mit dem Zweitwerk von Mr. Bungle „Disco Volante“ gemein hat. So werden krude die unterschiedlichsten Musikstile bzw. –instrumente vermischt. Die Palette reicht vom reinen Krach über Punk bis hin zur Polka oder Jazzrhythmen. Produziert wird das alles mit u.a. Orgeln, Samples, Drum (Machines), diversen Bläsern und, und, und...nicht schlecht für ein Trio. Es versteht sich von selbst, dass der Ansatz von Experimental Dental School garagiger ist. Kein Wunder, allein die Anzahl der Musiker, drei im Vergleich zum halben Orchester, das Patton & Co. zur Verfügung stand, spricht Bände. An der Klasse des Endergebnisses ändert sich aber nichts. Hier noch einige Vergleichbands sowohl ideologisch als auch musikalisch, mit denen man schon live gespielt hat: Numbers, XBXRX oder Gold Chains. Leute, die damit etwas anfangen können, sollten begeistert sein oder sich zumindest die Band live anschauen, Deutschlandkonzerte sind im April angesetzt. (Marco Battaglia)
http://www.brokenviolins.de/reviews/detail232004.asp

croatia...

13.04.04 . Å~ TRANS AM (Washington SAD) / EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL (Oakland SAD) Nakon vis¼e od c¼etiri godine jedan od najvaz¼nijih americ¼kih underground rock bendova nam se vrac´a. Nakon s¼to smo totalno naivno te dvijetisuc´ite godine koncert organizirali u Tvornici, i u nadi da c´emo tako omoguc´iti vecem broju ljudi da ih vidi zanemarili upozorenja da se ne upus¼tamo u bilo kakve poslove s ljudima koji taj klub vode, iz svega smo i Trans Am i mi kao organizatori izas¼li kratkih rukava. Bend je na svu srec´u shvatio da smo i jedni i drugi bili prevareni tako da smo i dalje ostali prijatelji, a sada smo konac¼no dos¼li u priliku da im se time s¼to c´e otvoriti peto izdanje Z¼edno Uho festivala revans¼iramo za sve neugodnosti koje su onda pretrpjeli. Tako c´e ova trojka koja nas jos¼ od sredine devedesetih odus¼evljava svojim miksom Kraftwerk elektronike i gitaristic¼kog rocka, predstaviti svoj novi album “Liberation”, njihovo prvo politic¼ki angaz¼irano i potpuno beskompromisno antibushovski i antiratno nastrojeno izdanje. Grupa se tako jos¼ jednom zaputila u nesigurne vode i nakon koketiranje sa synth popom osamdesetih koje je rezultirao predzadnjim “TA” albumom, iliti njihovim jedinim dosadas¼njim promas¼ajem, snimila emotivnu, energic¼nu i americ¼kom crnom politic¼kom stvarnos¼cu inspiriranu ploc¼u. Kao predgrupa c´e im nastupiti mladi kalifornijski bend Experimental Dental School, kojeg vam predstavljamo u suradnji s Moc¼varom, a c¼iji nas je miks utjecaja Captain Beefhearta, Tom Waitsa i americ¼kog indie lo-fi punk-rock zvuka i vis¼e nego ugodno iznenadio. Ulaznice u pretprodaji 45kn, a na ulazu 55kn. Ulaz se otvara u 20 sati, a koncert poc¼inje u 21 sat

ITALY...

Experimental Dental School - Hideous Dance Attack!!! (The Company With The Golden Arm, 2003)
Da Oakland il meglio della scena nowave-artrock del nuovo millennio. Se avete imputato ai Numbers una eccessiva indigeribilità a causa della mancanza di elementi premasticati pop nella loro ricetta, troverete pane per i vostri denti in questa band. E' come se i peggiori incubi da colonne sonore di film di fantascienza di bassa lega finissero triturati dai Devo o dai Butthole Surfers. C'è un che di garageoso nella formula organo, batteria e chitarra. La convincente scelta delle melodie di questo disco tritura gli Sci-Fi anni '50 senza snaturarli. Il ritmo non è poi così artsy come si vorrebbe; secondo me - io avanzo la mia ipotesi - sono una versione più rumorosa dei già fantastici Broadcast. Se amate quelle sonorità ma avete voglia di farvi una riga di risate non potete esimervi dal cercare questo disco e qualsiasi futura produzione del trio composto da Shoko Horikawa alla Casiotone P1000, Jesse Hall alla Guitar-O-Bass e da Ryan Chittick alla batteria. Da seguire attentamente e da scoprire in tutte le sue pieghe nascoste il loro sito internet, per lo meno per giocare con il loro campionatore. Dai valzerini alle polke, dal kraut quasi Add N To (X) agli screzi più crampsiani, i B-52's in acido... Potrei andare avanti con tante altre stupide definizioni di questo tenore. Non potete veramente perderveli. Dovete averli.

http://www.sodapop.it/eds.htm

In French...

Experimental Dental School Hideous Dance Attack!!! - CD The Company With The Golden Arm 2004 Ca commence par un hennissement de cheval. Ca embraye par un drÙle de son de claviers (un Casiotone 1000 pour les puristes), le tout dans une ambiance de fÍte foraine dÈbile. Le nom de ce trio de San Francisco aurait du nous mettre la puce ý l'oreille. Experimental Dental School est une drÙle de monture. Le genre en bois que l'on trouve sur les manËges et qui tourne en rond au plus grands plaisirs des petits et grands. Mais il est fortement conseillÈ de bien s'y accrocher sous peine de se retrouver Èjecter sur le grand huit d'ý cotÈ. Rythmes de valse ý quatre temps et moteur ý explosion, voix systÈmatiquement trafiquÈe, des sons tour ý tour Ètrange et marrant du clavier de Shoko Horikawa, charmante japonaise qui se croit au cirque. C'est pas non plus Bouglione. La base est punk-rock. Largement dÈviante certes mais avec une Ènergie de bon aloi et totalement "freak-out" comme diraient les ricains, ý faire p’lir un arracheur de dents. Dance-punk-circus, Áa vous branche comme Ètiquette?! Une Ècole dentaire des plus attrayantes. SKX (01/05/04)

http://www.perteetfracas.org/zine/kros2004/kros_e/experimental.htm