Cutting Room Rug

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		Auriculara (Listen to Me)	3:56	Play
2		Outbound Train	3:53	Play
3		Clover	2:56	Play
4		Listen (to This)	0:30	Play
5		Coil	4:59	Play
6		Life Imitates	4:17	Play
7		Clarendon	3:00	Play
8		Listen (to That)	0:30	Play
9		Cracks	3:51	Play
10		Pinnacle of Same	3:51	Play
11		Listen to You	3:00	Play

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Description

If Arms of Kismet's 2004 debut, Eponymous, was a heartfelt affirmation, the new Cutting Room Rug is its prankster twin, fusing parodic rants with tragic laments in a playful cocktail of satire and sincerity. From the mischievous "Clover" to the ominous "Coil," the new CD is a dark joyride, careening from track to track like a condemned man in a funhouse. Its inhabitants can only cry at weddings, can only laugh at funerals.

Fans of postmodern popsters like Beck, The Flaming Lips, and The Postal Service will find a kindred spirit in Arms of Kismet. Cutting Room Rug forsakes pimpin' and rides for pointed salvos wrapped as sweet confections. Split into three "acts," it attacks with guitars, hooks, and dancebeats, wooing the listener with sugary, stuck-in-your-head melodies and fractured lyrics. The format recalls The Firesign Theatre and The Who Sell Out, veering between spiritual yearning and crass commercialism, compelling passers-by to forget their troubles and "spin the wheel." It sketches a perilous, chaotic world begging for a skip and a chuckle.

Arms of Kismet blends disparate genres ("roots" music, '80s rock, hip-hop) in offbeat and revelatory ways. From the hooky "Outbound Train" to the folky "Life Imitates" to the house-soaked "Cracks," it paints a fast-changing landscape where one never knows what ripping good luck or bitter misfortune waits over the next hill. Brooding and poppy, funny and foreboding, it's toe-tapping, tragicomic rock 'n' roll.

Cutting Room Rug was written and produced by Mark Doyon, mastered by Jon Astley (Tori Amos, George Harrison, Pete Townshend), and released by independent label Wampus Multimedia. Guests include Kowtow Popof ("Life Imitates") Janna Audey ("Coil"), Eamon Loftus ("Auriculara [Listen to Me]"), Scott Goodrick ("Clarendon"), and Paul Golder ("Auriculara [Listen to Me]").

Doyon released CDs as Wampeters during the 1990s, and published a book of fiction, Bonneville Stories, in 2001. He thinks of Cutting Room Rug like a jigsaw puzzle. "Sometimes the puzzle falls off the table," he says. "You can put it back together, or you can do something else with the pieces."

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"Witty, idiosyncratic indie-rock that is to a band like Maroon 5 what a film like Sideways is to one like Miss Congeniality 2.... Zealously off-center, moderately acidic, daringly intellectual and vastly entertaining.... These are songs to not just listen to, but explore, a series of musical masks donned by an artist with keen insight and an outsized sense of playfulness." --Jason Warburg, The Daily Vault

"Led by Mark Doyon, Arms of Kismet find themselves among Virginia's rising stars of postmodern rock. The fearless genre-bending makes a stop on the Dylanesque travel tale, 'Outbound Train,' which Bob would probably not just love but loathsomely curse that he didn't write two or three decades ago. Interesting and fun, go grab this as it's an even better album than their debut of a year ago. (Editor's Pick)" --Smother.net

"Arms of Kismet features the genius of Mark Doyon. This stuff is so good that it almost defies explanation. On the surface, it's great power pop. A little below the surface is a whole other species of musical madness." -- Mike Perazzetti, The Fevered Brain of Radio Mike

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Reviews of Arms of Kismet's EPONYMOUS (2004)

"Eponymous is a classic, one of the first great discs of 2004." --Groovevolt.com

"Eponymous brims with an off-kilter wisdom and warped melodies, a treasure-trove of idiosyncratic rock and roll that will make you smile when it isn't busy making you think. More than just a collection of songs, this disc marks the coming of age of an original voice, and is not to be missed." --Jason Warburg, The Daily Vault

"Inspired song structure, thematic consistency and depth, excellent instrumentation, original and compelling lyrics, the human touch, rock tradition, songwriting superiority, vocal harmony, ironic smiles, America, sadness, beauty, and an enveloping sense of personal involvement and connection.... Anyone who likes Smog, P.J. Harvey, Dylan, Tom Petty, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, or any of the songwriting greats, will love this.... Wampus must now be one of the strongest indie labels in the country." --Fleabomb.com

"Eclectic is the first word that bursts into the brain as you listen to this adventurous work that dares to steer a bit left of the norm. The CD is as unique as it is refreshing, blending some dance backbeats, adult alternative grooves, and a twist of roots pop to complete the enjoyable cocktail. The vocals are delivered with a surprising gentleness and charisma, a wonderful example of what can happen when you cut across the grain and dare to be a bit different.... A valiant effort to help get pop music out of the rut it seems to be in lately, but Arms of Kismet treks through without even spinning the tires." --Rikks Revues

"Mark Doyon writes wry and intelligent songs about life, religion, and the ongoing pursuit of happiness. This collection of singular pop tunes includes one absolute classic (the powerful 'Are You My God') and several others ('Cuckold of Titan,' 'Sepia Eyes') that are nearly as good. Recommended for those who like their pop with a twist." --Norman Famous' Reviews