Best known as the multi-instrumentalist behind Thinking Plague and 5uu's, Bob Drake has also made six solo albums. The first, which was a self production that only had a limited 300 issue release, has now been re-issued by Ad Hoc Records. What Day Is It? was originally recorded from 1992-1993 and released a year later. All of the original DAT recordings were reused and the sound is exactly what the original contained. Drake plays all instruments and covers all vocals, except for the occasional drumming of David Kerman.
It doesn't take long to understand that this truly is a solo effort. From the sparse, haunting opener "The House" to the experimental country-tinged instrumental "Weeds", you have one guy tinkering and playing with themes and ideas as much as actually composing songs. Surprisingly most of the experiments work in one way or another. Not every song is a hit, but you at least get what he is trying to do with most of his attempts.
It is very hard to compare this album, with all of it's varied avenues, to another CD, but "The Drawing" has the same feel of Daniel Johnstone's Fun where as "The 13th Animal" has a Loud Family vibe running through it. "Rainy" and "Going Somewhere" are prime examples where Drake's voice sounds eerily similar to Jon Anderson, although he usually dismisses this comparison. This is recommended for fans of Fritz Doddy and Game Theory. What Day Is It? is not a CD that will get a steady rotation, but definitely fun to work through every now and again.
Track Listing
1. The House
2. Weeds
3. The Statue
4. Rainy
5. Spiders
6. The Drawing
7. Plates
8. Going Somewhere
9. The Sawblade
10. Death Valley
11. The 13th animal
12. Precarious Glimmering
13. The Cemetery Trees
14. Good Evening
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