Double U
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Absurd Fjord , 6/10
Double U & Glands Of External Secretion , 6/10
Falling Lanterns , 6/10
White Night Floating Anchor , 6/10
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Double U are a quartet from the San Francisco Bay Area that belongs to the same iconoclast tradition as the Residents and the Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 . Absurd Fjord (Communion, 1996) introduced a vocalist (Matt Hall) who croaks like Tom Waits, a guitar that meows like Jeff Cotton's, a rhythm section that Frank Zappa would have loved (Orange Catholic Bible, Great Deceiver).

Double U & Glands Of External Secretion (VHF, 1998) is a collaboration between two of the most "unusual" bands of the San Francisco underground, each band playing the exact same set of songs in its own way. Double U steer towards prog-rock and psychedelia, adding tuba, harmonium and organ to their arsenal. Seymour Glass's Glands Of External Secretion, that released Northern Exposure Will Be Right Back (Starlight Furniture, 1995) and Reverse Atheism (Butte County Free Music Society, 2011), prove even more eccentric.
Tracks: March To Valhalla, Ling, The Sick Doll, Yowgull, Cuisine Of Northern India, Emperor Jones, Mystic Rectangle, Green Light Go, Absurd Fjord, Bow Legged Horse, Lonely Woman.

Falling Lanterns (Emperor Jones, 2000), that features new members Linda Hagood and Christopher Holden, is slightly lighter and more childish in tone, frequently bordering on the vaudeville-ish (Ghost of an Acrobat, Drunken Butterfly, Rickenroodle) although mostly still in the wake of the Residents (Beetle Lantern Bog Swap, Iridescent Sleepwalker, Ephemeral Epaulet).
Tracks: Iridescent Sleepwalker, Ephemeral Epaulet, Castle, Rickenroodle, Alligator Leg Stomp, Pigeon Pass, Drunken Butterfly, Brambles, Diabolical Whelk, Ghost of an Acrobat, Musical Ph, Bratwurst, Pari Passu, Beetle Lantern Bog Swap.

The dancing guitars of Alex Behr, Linda Hagood and Matt Hall prefer the languid, atmospheric tones on White Night Floating Anchor (Emperor Jones, 2002). Some truly inspired playing propels the deformed, bluesy shapes of Bubbling Cactus Water and Sheepo, evoking Jon Spencer in a serene mood. The phantasmagoria of Metaluna proves that their forte is the instrumental scores.
Their prog-rock ambitions are best displayed in the Zappa-esque circus-music of Infinitesimal (despite the irritating childish vocals) and in Bunny Commander, which alternates kitsch-y melodies and syncopated blues steps.
A stand-out in a different vein is Valuable Duck Floats Through Lily Pond, a hushed ballad that introduces a relaxed, laid-back, dreamy tone. By the same token, the instrumental Companion deconstructs a simple, gentle lullaby.
The overall mood is quiet and subdued, with a notable exception in Slow Down Tiger, which is slightly more propulsive. Famous Strong Man Comes Out of Cave
Most of the album's power lies in the slightly atonal tuning of the guitars and the disorienting way in which they interact (occasionally enhanced by Behr's somnolent organ).

Relocating to New York, child-like vocalist Linda Hagood debuted solo with the surrealistic cabaret of Pink Love Red Love (Awesome Vistas, 2008).

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