''Project Twinkle'' is the second album by

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

alternative rock band

King Cobb Steelie King Cobb Steelie is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1991 from Guelph, Ontario,"Sonuvafreakin' Eh!"

, released in 1994.Derek Weiler, "King Cobb Steelie endures". ''

Waterloo Region Record The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Rec ...

'', November 10, 1994. Produced by

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...

, the album moved away from the funk-rock of their 1993 album ''

King Cobb Steelie King Cobb Steelie is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1991 from Guelph, Ontario,"Sonuvafreakin' Eh!"

'' toward a more groove-oriented sound. The band contacted Laswell through mutual acquaintances, following an abortive recording session with

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

Reissue

The album was reissued in 2012 on Pheromone Recordings, with a new remix of "Italian Ufology Today" by

Mad Professor Mad Professor (born Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser, 1955, Georgetown, Guyana) is a Guyanese-born British dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music ...

as a bonus track. The reissue was promoted with limited live performances at the

Horseshoe Tavern The Horseshoe Tavern (known as ''The Horseshoe'', ''The 'Shoe'', The 'Toronto Tavern' and The 'Triple T' to Toronto locals) is a concert venue at 370 Queen Street West (northeast corner of Queen at Spadina) in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, an ...

in Toronto, and the Stay Out of the Mall Festival in the band's hometown of

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Well ...

Ben Rayner Ben Rayner is a music critic and writer for the ''Toronto Star'' since 1998. His commentary on artists is extensively cited across the industry. Indie88 considers him "of the most respected industry professionals around." In 2012, he served on th ...

, "Ben Rayner's reasons to live". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'', November 25, 2012.

Response

The album received positive reviews at the time of its release. Peter Howell of the ''

'' wrote that "A great groove doesn't always require a vocal to go with it, and kudos to this Guelph funk-rock combo for realizing it. Not that the singing of guitarist/vocalist Kevan Byrne is likely to challenge any divas, anyway, but he makes his eccentric voice work for him, and only when the occasion demands - the instrumentals more than carry their own weight. A remarkably strong album," while Derek Weiler of the '' Waterloo Record'' wrote that "Project Twinkle sees Guelph's favorite sons continuing to grow in huge strides since their 1991 inception. The new album is sometimes problematic, but still reveals a powerful artistic vision and confirms King Cobb Steelie as the most vital and exciting combo to spring from the region. This time, the group has recruited the dub-friendly name producer Bill Laswell (following some aborted sessions with Steve Albini); Laswell has somehow simultaneously tightened the Steelie sound and enhanced their improvisatory feel. There are few jackhammer riffs like the ones that surfaced on the debut — instead, it's all bass- heavy grooves, subtle guitar fills, and complex layers of percussion." For

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, Sean Carruthers rated the album 4.5 stars, writing that "the album shows the band leaning less toward jagged punk stylings and more toward sinewy, atmospheric dub. Sometimes the vocals disappear completely while the band lays into a groove, but this is not altogether a bad thing. Although "Triple Oceanic Experience" was nearly a hit single, the album's centerpiece is the nine-and-a-half-minute "80% Knockout," which brings together all of the band's influences in a beautifully sparse package." The album received a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

nomination for

Alternative Album of the Year Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

at the Juno Awards of 1995."Juno nominations". ''

Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation,''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. History ''The Ha ...

'', February 9, 1995. Over time, however, the album developed a reputation for being one of the weaker ones in the band's catalogue, with even the band themselves sometimes characterizing it as a rush job.Michael Barclay, "King Cobb Steelie remains current". ''

Guelph Mercury The ''Guelph Mercury'' was an English language daily newspaper published in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It published a mix of community, national and international news and is owned by the Torstar Corporation. The newspaper, in many incarnations, ...

'', December 13, 2012. At the time of the 2012 reissue, however,

of the ''Toronto Star'' wrote that "The tide of the times has lately cycled hipsterdom back around to sounds that orbit in the vicinity of the nifty stuff these stylistically omnivorous Guelph groove-rockers and highfalutin' producer Bill Laswell got up to together on Twinkle, but King Cobb Steelie remains a one-of-a-kind deal. Even the bits of Project Twinkle that could be accused of dating a bit - the elongated, scritchy-scratchy funk-punk throwdowns "Triple Oceanic Experience" and "The Pollinator," for instance - arguably hold up better than similar-sounding stuff from the period by, say, the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, f ...

or I Mother Earth." Michael Barclay of the ''

'' wrote that "Project Twinkle is obviously a transition album: they're audibly moving away from some of the grungy elements that defined their best rock songs, and into more exploratory territory....KCS were - and are - the rare rock band who could incorporate heavy funk grooves without coming off like the Red Hot Chili Peppers; indeed, nothing they ever tried - except maybe the occasional turntable scratch or awkward rapid-fire rap - sounded like genre tourism. This was - is - a group of musically ravenous men who translate all their influences into a unique language."

Track listing

# "Slump" (3:41) # "Triple Oceanic Experience" (4:10) # "Maynard" (4:04) # "Italian Ufology Today" (5:58) # "Gamblore/All Flights Go to Moscow" (5:39) # "The Pollinator" (5:09) # "80% Knockout" (9:25) # "Lunar Rotisserie" (8:10) # "Mano Ponderosa" (4:28) # "Technique" (8:20)

References

{{Authority control 1994 albums King Cobb Steelie albums Albums produced by Bill Laswell