OK, so actually this Bermuda Triangles live EP, entitled LivLiveLuv, has been available for free from the CNP Records blog for something like two months. So why am I just getting around to posting about it now? Well, my only excuse is that in late November when it originally hit the internet, we here at RVA were trying to get the last print issue finalized and my reading comprehension was at an all-time low, especially when checking email. So I am sorry I slept on it until now, but hey, better late than never, right?
Of the five songs on this live EP, three are brand new, with the wild opening jam of "Cannibal Planet" picking up where Reptilian Intervention closing track "Cannibal Island" left off. The screaming saxophone and clattering percussion do a great job of bringing the typical Bermuda Triangles live experience to you in the comforts of your own home. The two previously released songs, though, "Reptilian Intervention" and "Riddles In The Sand," appear in versions far different from the way they typically sound live. Subtitled "EZ Listening" versions, these quiet, subdued recordings come from a show where the cops had already come and gone, and the only way for Bermuda Triangles to perform at all was to play very quietly. These versions are fascinating and display a whole different side of their unique sound. I've always thought that Bermuda Triangles had a ritualistic, tribal sound, but it seems far more pronounced on the quiet versions of these songs. The remaining two previously-unreleased tracks, "Drink More Boobs" and "In The Nick Of Thyme," are completely different from each other, but both are great. "In The Nick Of Thyme," which closes the EP, ends with Bermuda Triangles frontman Jason Hodges yelling, "Last call!" It never occurred to me before, but this is the perfect way to end any live album.
I recognize that this EP is probably old news to a lot of you, but if anyone else out there besides me hasn't heard it yet, you really owe it to yourself to follow the link and make LivLiveLuv a part of your collection.