What if Cat Stevens and Syd Barrett had been born and raised in Middle America and dropped acid together? I imagine they would sound a lot like Holy Frog. Holy Frog dubs themselves "a surreal postmodern acoustic duo", but I prefer to describe them as "psychedelic-Americana-punk". At 6 songs, this CD is way too short, but it gives a tantalizing glimpse of what the band is capable of. Please give us more... Review by Ronnie

In his Lila: An Inquiry into Morals, hipster/philosophyer Robert Pirsig writes that "The world comes to us in an endless stream of puzzle pieces that we would like to think all fit together somehow, but that in fact never do." That's as fitting description as any for this puzzling, complex and very interesting EP. This psych-blues-electronic duo, comprised of Kurt Kitson and Tobias Epstein, lands lightly on traditional styles like porch blues and folk, but filters them through a bizarre and multiplicitous perspective. Listening to "Robert Pirsig Blues", for instance, is like viewing down-home strumming through insect eyes, the outlines recognizable but individual images fractured into a thousand colliding pieces. Similarly, "Candied Daze", with its Dieter-accented weather forecast intro ("And now, vould you like to touch my mohnkee?"), is shimmering space rock filtered through sunny country blues forms. It's slippery -- you never quite get a handle on it -- but gorgeous, and it leads into the more overtly twangy "Going to the Country". "Homo Erectus" may be the most bizarre cut on this brief EP; its good-time guitar strumming turns psycho with a persistent "This is my cock" chorus (at least that's what it sounds like they're saying). "02.01.03" memorializes the space shuttle crash of a couple years ago in a long, trippy journey that's only sabotaged by an overlay of GW Bush's eulogy. The EP dances tantalizingly out of reach, eluding that "I've got it now" moment of understanding with frustrating skill. The pieces are fascinating, and you'll want to believe that there's a magic key that will make them all align... but perhaps there isn't. --Jennifer Kelley

I listen to a lot of indie music, and this is one of the few bands that actually encompasses the true meaning of independent! Wandering over at least 4 genres and without a care in the world for a common thread, Holy Frog's Blue Banana is an album about individuality. It's almost as if Holy Frog stared at a blank canvas, glanced at paint, and then went into their medicine cabinet and fridge and use a hot glue gun, staples and gum to put their art together. Sounds messy, but somehow they actually pull it off with a sense of direction. Every song is a tiny universe of sound and intent that makes me listen again and again. This is definitely an album I'd put on in the background. The sound itself is dreamy and almost Phish-ish in the case of 02.01.03, a nice meditative spunk that sets me up to think about people in my life. Injected are sound clips that have had one of the best introductions in the world. It's a far cry from the rap-rock and twitchy, funny noisemaking in Homo Erectus. What I didn't like so much about the album was Robert Pirsig Blues, which opens up with a teeth-clenching fretattack and moves into a mishmash of harmonica-sounding-western song. The melody is hard on the ears and stays on the same note far too long, but then, I've never liked that kind of music. However Holy Frog is still unabashedly creating whatever moves them, and for that they get kudos. Favorite Tracks: Homo Erectus, 02.01.03, King George --Katie

Holy Frog? Holy. Frog. It only took a few seconds for me to catch onto the fact that this band is nothing if not unique. Any group that describes themselves as a “surreal postmodern acoustic duo” can take that title and fly with it in my opinion. For some reason I am not the type of artsy hippie that gets this type of music. Yeah, I hug trees. Sure I dig music. But that special brand artistry is often lost on me. As a result, I approached this album with hesitation and no small amount of trepidation. But. Surprise! This music is actually kind of good. The first song that jumped out at me was ‘Going to the Country’. The dominant acoustic guitars are beautiful, and the finger-picking adds just the right amount of country twang to the song. The vocals are raw folk at its best. The backing electric guitar adds a nice ambience with its drift and quaver; this song just feels like blue skies and summer breezes. It sparkles and chirps and rambles along without a care in the world. Toss me a piece of grass to chew on. I’m ready to move to the country! ‘02.01.03’ is another ambient piece that is beautifully constructed. The layers ebb and flow like the pulse of a tide, and the intermingling of theatrical audio snippets is incredibly moving. The attack of the guitars leading up the quotes of George W. pulses with urgency and drama. I know little of the Columbia disaster, but this song still almost had me in tears. I smell a soundtrack! One complaint I have is the lack of consistency throughout the album. I’m all for versatility and straying from the straight and narrow, but sometimes that can be taken too far. I’m still not sure how ‘Homo Erectus’ fits into the grand scheme of things with its Shaggy-like rhymes and ghostly backing vocals. Similarly, ‘King George’ blasts out of the tranquil state induced by ’02.01.03’ only to leave me on an unsatisfied note. Where’s the closure? Why ruin the grandiose, finale-style ending with less than two minutes of chatter? There is an obvious amount of talent in this duo that is never embellished, but steeps quietly in the background and grabs your attention through subtlety alone. Kurt Kitson and Tobias Epstein are masters of melding unusual sound effects, instruments and spoken word to form a full, commanding piece of music. The ‘Blue Banana EP’ is an interesting 25 minutes of imagination and dabbling. If you’re looking for something challenging and refreshing, this may be your thing. Favorite Tracks: Going to the Country, 02.01.03