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A peculiarly-named quartet from Philadelphia, Bent Leg Fatima belonged to the more progressive rock end of that city?s fabled neo-psychedelia scene. Keyboardist Dale Jimenez, drummer Chris Powell, bassist Jamey Robinson and singer/multi-instrumentalist/manic dancing focal point Jeff Bradbury formed the group in 1996, moving to Philadelphia from their home in the northern New Jersey suburbs to join groups like Aspra Ad Astra, Transient Waves and the Asteroid No. 4 in redefining progressive rock for the post-grunge generation. Their first single, ?Mouse,? came out in 1998 on the local indie Lounge Records, and their self-titled album followed on File 13 Records in early 2000. Although their blend of Captain Beefheart and the Soft Machine was well-reviewed on the psychedelic underground, the group split up in 2001.
Bent Leg Fatima obviously recorded this album with a certain theme in mind, but upon listening to it further, every track seems to offer a different spin to the previous one. Each song slightly bending in a different direction, but without straying too far away from the approach of early 70's experimental rock. Bent Leg Fatima continues the spirit of Krautrock like Can and Faust, improvisation and cyclical structures, yet with a sense of direction. In between appears a band probing, almost snaking, through musical ideas, from post-rock analog noodling and Hawkwind's space-trips, to funky trancelike jams and acoustical improv. Fast forward to the present, and we can hear the same musical concepts in The Beta Band, Simian, and early Stereolab. In this age of musical order, no one can deny that Bent Leg Fatima is pushing the creative boundaries. Bucking the establishment to create something a little off-center and unconventional, such is the root of art, such is spirit of music. (Amazon Review)
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