Anyone who performs his set with an orchestra made out of cardboard always needs a second look. Yes. That’s right. An orchestra made out of cardboard. I told you that you’d need a second look.

Dan Edelstyn performs alongside his Orchestra of Cardboard under the bizarrely self explanatory title of “Dan Edelstyn and the Orchestra of Cardboard”. As you might imagine from the name alone, his music (or rather their music - let us not underestimate the contributions of artists formerly known as old boxes) is quirky, to say the least.

It’s the natural successor to David Bowie, Beck and The Beta Band, with a splash of Flight of the Conchords. As with those acts, in Edelstyn’s music anything could happen. And so, within the space of just a two track single we are plunged from the celestial heights of Germans exploring the final frontier (“Germans in Space”) to the seedy depths of Jack the Ripper prowling the East End of London (“Psycho Town”).

The lead track may require further reading as it considers Edelstyn’s fascination with German scientists fleeing the Holocaust and pursuing their dreams of space exploration. It’s delivered in an appropriately spaced-out tone and is full of peace, love and understanding: “from the spaceship view….cruelties give way to blue and green”.

“Psycho Town” meanwhile is a snarling, prowling beast. The opening lines of “Trip to Soho/Peeping Tom/Girls, Girls, Girls” come complete with a sinister, lock-up-your-daughters voice. It’s difficult to believe that the two tracks come from the same person.

In just one single, Edelstyn has demonstrated a broad stylistic range that is at once exciting and unnerving. Predicting the next song’s contents would be utterly futile. And as to a whole album? I’m not sure my brain can cope with that.

But for a man with a willing cardboard orchestra under his baton? Well, anything is possible.

Over all rating: 7/10

Format: Single

Release date: 28/09/09

Record label: Blang

Myspace: www.myspace.com/danedelstyn

14/10/09 - First published on www.noizemakesenemies.co.uk on this link