4 out of 5

Label: ?

Producer: Terry S. Taylor?

Has there ever been a better marriage of visuals and sound than the Neverhood?  …Perhaps when Armikrog comes out we’ll have an answer.  Although this 36-track collection of ‘Neverhood Songs’ has the same problem with over-indulgence as the game (still selling that ‘best marriage’ concept), it is simply striking how easily you can identify the style here with the game, even if you’ve only played it for a few minutes or a few screens… the general ‘bop’ of the tracks just matches the vibe and general design of our clay characters and sets.  The music primarily consists of Taylor on folky guitar and mumbling madly obscured lyrics with a mouth full’a marbles, some ridiculous phrases poking out here and there but certainly not near as important as the kooky tone of things.  Some tracks do incorporate some extra instrumentation – drums, horns, keys – and, admittedly, these make for the most moving and memorable tracks, covering the game’s main themes and major sequences – ‘Klayman Shuffle,’ ‘Klaymen’s Theme,’ ‘The Battle of Robot Bil.’  But that’s not to set aside all of the “off” tracks which are often just funny sounds and guitar and are pretty aptly named – ‘Olly Oxen Free,’ ‘Skat Radio’ – either telling you what words Taylor will be singing over and over or what style the song is parodying / adopting.  These tracks are committed with a kind of pleasant straight-forwardness and ease that keeps it from feeling like a joke, and instead elicits a joyful smile… the songs just make you want to boogie and bop, the way Klayman’s head bops up and down when he walks across the screen.  So all of these slices between the ‘real’ songs are the flavoring that help make ‘Neverhood Songs’ work, even if it does feel a bit forcibly ‘off’ at moments.

Now at some point, though, the album just seems to… stop, transitioning to what sounds like outtakes or extras.  This is at about track 24.  It always seems silly to criticize something for its extras, but these final 10 tracks are so scattered (and undeniably joke tracks – such as the “sound effects record” that lists a whole bunch silent sounds) that it really slows down the whole listening experience, making the ‘proper’ album feel a bit less solid.  There’s honestly not much real content toward the disc’s end, and, for better or worse, that means it can be skipped in favor of getting back into your Terry S. Taylor groove to which you’ve become addicted.