Foxy Digitalis review of WASTE

by Chris Jacques, Foxy Digitalis
Oct 2005

(rating: 9 out of 10 stars) I don't wish to diminish this disc by simply tacking on a few significant
reference points as if it were birthed by lesser beings (or a teenage garage
band), but from the moment I started listening to it I
kept thinking that it really should have been released
by Strange Attractors Audio House. Unlike space flight
dreamweapon contemporaries Landing and SubArachnoid Space
however, Chef Menteur is essentially a duo. The core of
the band is comprised of multi-instrumentalists Alec Vance & Jim
Yonkus with a few other cats rounding out the sounds with
post-improv synths and percussion (though it seems a solid
line up is now in place). We Await… is an alluring
collection of psych & space rock jams recorded over
the period of two years cleaned and polished up for consumption.
Given the relative uniformity and strength of the songs,
there must have been a lot of tape to prowl through, coz
there's very little filler within the album's 70+ minute
run. So either these guys record everything and shake out
the seeds and stems or they are musical geniuses or savants
that hit the mark each time out. I hope there is more to
come from these guys. But seeing that they and their label
is based in New Orleans I'm guessing that a lot of gear
is now gone. Here's to hoping that all is good and more
NOLA psych will be blastin' out soon!!! — Chris Jacques