Antique Seeking Nuns’ third and final EP 'Careful! It's Tepid' was released in 2009. The band decided to call it quits, so to speak, and start fresh under a different moniker, Sanguine Hum. I would guess that rather than milking out music for the Nuns, they wanted something new. Their line-up is Matt Baber (keys) and Joff Winks (guitar, vocals) who have been collaborating since their schooldays. Joining them are Brad Waissman (Bass) and Paul Mallyon (drums).
This is a short EP which contains some rather wonderfully odd music. Somewhat in the Canterbury genre but not in the classic sense. Starting off the EP is “Leave Us A Message” which has the quirky vibe with wonderful instrumentation and vocals. Next up we have, “The Foulness! The Stench!”, a very melodic and sweet sounding instrumental track that has an orchestral feel to it. It’s also the shortest track but has an epic feel to it.
Continuing with another instrumental, “Dead Cheese” is the next song that, with my limited knowledge, reminds me of something Frank Zappa would probably do if he was around in 2009. Next is “The Bearded Bag Lady” a psychedelic vibe with some spoken word towards the end.
“Ointment For Flies” is the longest track on the EP and the most progressive rock sounding song out pf the bunch, and there is some Canterbury woven in. It’s also the other song that contains vocals. Ending off the EP is a hidden track known as “Final Message” which concludes the Antique Seeking Nuns as a band. It has some spoken word on it which sounds like someone was speaking after a hit of helium.
In conclusion, I found 'Careful! It's Tepid' to be one of the more enjoyable, yet short, releases of 2009. I would highly recommend it to fans of the aforementioned bands. I plan on seeking out the other two EPs in the near future.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on December 19th, 2009
