Search - Uncle Bonsai :: Doug

Fabulous!

-jas | Seattle, WA | 03/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This follows the life of Doug from birth through (and beyond) death. Typical of Andrew Ratshin, this ranges from hilarious to extremely serious, always with elements of both."

Bansai at their Best

Bradford Daniels | Redmond, WA | 11/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just listened to "Doug" for the first time, and all I can really say is, "wow." If I sit down and listen to the CD repeatedly, I could probably come up with things to criticize or some kind of deep analysis, but the fact is, listening to this CD brought me back to the first time I listened to Uncle Bonsai's music (along with dragging me through just about every other pleasant or painful episode in my life).I was repeatedly struck by how beautifully Uncle Bonsai manages to move in and out of humor and poignancy while remaining just plain beautiful music. I found myself unable to avoid analyzing my own life as I listened to them talking about Doug's life. The music pulled me in and made me feel things in a way I haven't felt in years.I know not everyone is affected this way by Uncle Bonsai. Some people don't like their brand of harmony, or prefer more of an instrumental component to their music. I have heard some people complain that the themes or the language offend them. There are some people who don't appreciate the sense of humor in Uncle Bonsai's music. If you are in one of those groups, you are really missing out.I think the key to Uncle Bonsai is that their music is all so real, so human. Even when the music seems to be just trying to be funny, there's a sensibility underlying it that acknowledges everything good and bad about the human condition, and tells you, "it's OK. We all laugh, we all get sad, we all do stupid things, and it's OK".Jeez, I'm sounding kind of hokey, but I just listened to "Doug", so please forgive me for being a bit on the emotional side."