Evening Standard
Caroline Inzaghi

2nd May 1999
It is a long time since a single album (never mind a trilogy of albums) has sparked such a marked set of supporters and detractors. Kalle Ryan's pseudo-intellectual alter-ego The Rambler and his meandering musings have split critics and fans right down the middle. If you like him, you love him as one would a messiah. If you dislike him, you loathe him as one would a witch in Salem. Regardless of your position on the matter, it may be important to remember that when the dust finally settles, this is after all only rock and roll. With this, the release of Committed to Mediocrity the final record in the Rambler trilogy, the music world can breathe a sigh of relief that this debate is nearing its inevitable close.

One can't help but feel that Ryan is sitting somewhere laughing loudly at the level of seriousness afforded to these records and the resultant tempestuous war of words it has spawned. By distancing himself from The Rambler persona, Ryan has already taken a deliberate step away from the traditional role of interpreter of his work. By leaving the media and fans alike to form their own conclusions, he has perhaps allowed them to create a beast of their own choosing. One wonders if this was Ryan's intention all along. Perhaps, for this very reason, the confusion surrounding the record's level of seriousness has arisen. Of course, Ryan has deliberately fanned the flames by making public appearances as The Rambler and throwing public tantrums at the mention of the name Kalle Ryan.

As previously stated, this is the final record in the trilogy, and although I cannot number myself among the fans of the collection, it must be said that this is by far the most solid one of the lot. As a double album clocking in at just under two hours, it covers an impressive amount of musical and lyrical territory. More obviously constructed as a quasi-opera than its predecessors, it ranges from the melodic to the purely unlistenable. Having said that, it will no doubt find favour with a good many listeners. Lyrically, Ryan deconstructs the myth of The Rambler in such a clever way that one wonders if he rewrote the lyrics following the reception of the first two albums. One gets the feeling that we'll never really know. Having said all that, it is a highly inaccessible piece of work that is definitely not suited to the casual music fan.

At the end of the day, I have to say that I did not enjoy this, or any of the other records in the trilogy, yet for better or worse they have left an impression on me nonetheless. There is no doubt that these records have shaped something new and different in the world of music, which is especially promising in this the day and age of manufactured boy bands and teeny bopper girlie singers. So, the final verdict is that they are not my cup of tea, but some of you, and you know who you are, will relish every minute. And no matter what anyone says now, time will undoubtedly be the ultimate judge of these releases.