Stepping Away from the Computer: Planning the Rebellion, "Volume
2" Print Music - Feature Stories Wednesday, 20 June 2007 02:31
In writing in January about the first release from Planning the
Rebellion, the college-age duo of brothers Robert and Scott
Cerny, I said, "The band excels when it embraces its electronic
elements fully." (See "Unwasted Youth," River Cities' Reader
Issue 614, January 3, 2007.)  I mention this because for their
second recording, bafflingly titled Volume 2, the Quad Cities-
bred Cernys seem hell-bent on making a fool out of me, or at
least calling my judgment into question. The self-recorded CD -
roughly 30 minutes of music in nine songs - chucks the
electronic processing until the coda that is the final track,
and instead tries to skate by on voice, acoustic guitar, and
piano.  And we're not talking about built-up layers; the
Brothers Cerny stick with simple melodies, and even harmony
vocals are rare. The gall!  I'm joking, but the choice is bold
and daring. Such a rudimentary musical