''Murk Time Cruiser'' is the second album by the American

indie punk Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they pr ...

band

aMiniature aMiniature is a band that was formed in the 1980s in San Diego by first generation Korean-American John Lee. By 1990 Lee had established the name aMiniature. The band's name was inspired by a poster hanging in the office of Lee's father that showe ...

. It was released in 1995. The band promoted the album by touring with Seam, Versus, and Venus Cures All, bands, like aMiniature, that included Asian-American members.

Production

Drive Like Jehu Drive Like Jehu was an American post-hardcore band from San Diego active from 1990 to 1995. It was formed by rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rick Froberg and lead guitarist John Reis, ex-members of Pitchfork, along with bassist Mike Kennedy an ...

Mark Trombino Mark Trombino (born May 23, 1966) is an American multi-platinum record producer, musician, and audio engineer. He has produced, engineered, and mixed tracks for many artists including Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, The Starting Line, Finch, Motion ...

played drums on the album. ''Murk Time Cruiser'' was produced by John Lee and Trombino.

Critical reception

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' noted that frontman John Lee "continues to explore unusual guitar textures that eschew simple effects like feedback and distortion pedals for unusual fingerings and unexpected chord changes ... But no matter how ambitious the music, aMiniature remains a punk-rock band at heart." The ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by ...

'' thought that "Lee frantically spits out words, presenting the band’s inherent tunefulness in choppy, tension-creating fragments." The ''

Arizona Daily Star The ''Arizona Daily Star'' is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. History L. C. Hughes was the Arizona Territory governor and founder of the ''Arizona Star'' ...

'' called the songs a melding of "avant-garde, punk and pop music," writing that the album is marked by "crashing passion and high velocity." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' wrote: "Prickly and jumpy, aMiniature's ''Murk Time Cruiser'' reinvigorates the strategies of early '80s punk-funk." The '' Orange County Register'' called the songs "brilliant music," writing that "what makes aMiniature ... so special is the way the group layers various guitar riffs and melodies atop a usually fast and driving rhythm." ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' an ...

'' deemed it "ultimately a bastardized blend of the hyperkinetic soundtracks of sci-fi video games and the (relatively) happy, boppin' punk rock of the '80s."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 1995 albums Restless Records albums