Peter
I came to Gordian Knot in a roundabout sort of way. I first became familiar with Sean Malone due to his stellar bass work on the first OSI disc. I then came (far too late) to the party that was Cynic. I was blown away. I had to hear more.
Enter Emergent, the second album from Gordian Knot. The band really is Sean Malone's project, with a rotating cast of supporting players. At the heart of it, you have a jazz inspired rock/fusion. There is no shortage of electric guitars and dynamic bass playing.
However, Sean Malone isn't afraid to really embrace the jazz aspect. There are plenty of moments that have an organic, jam feel to them. Other moments feel very thought out and focused. And while there certainly is rock, rock isn't the only side to the music here. "Mutterspache" is a fantastic way to kick the album into high gear after a lovely bass intro in "Arsis". For me, though, the highlight is the achingly beautiful "Grace", a live version of a song off the first album. It is sweet, plaintive and simply one of the most memorable and sublime songs I have ever heard. While the first Gordian Knot album was lacking in a few areas, Emergent is a fully realized, moving and powerful record.
Final Verdict: Adore it (and make sure to take the time to let this sink in)
Braeden
Everything Peter said about this album is true - it is a great fusion album, filled to the brim with impressive musicianship and meticulous songwriting. Malone is a bassist unlike most others, with a sense toward jazz style and improvisation that most rock bassists wish they could have and never will.
Moreover, the guest musicians that Malone brings in are cream of the crop people with years of experience in progressive rock and other media. We've got Steve Hackett of Genesis fame, Jim Matheos (mastermind behind that all-important archetype of progressive metal, Fates Warning), Bill Bruford - who has spent time playing with both Yes and King Crimson, among others. Each of their contributions can be felt in little ways in the overall style of the record, from the more psychedelic stuff to the heavier aspects.
And it all just works together so well. At heart, this album is truly a jazz record; the fact that they use rock instruments and musicians does nothing to deter the fact that it has all the style, grace, and sophistication of basically any other great jazz fusion album. In the classic tradition of Miles Davis' Bitches' Brew, the Weather Report's eponymous album, or Chick Corea and Return to Forever's seminal Light as a Feather, Emergent combines everything I love about jazz - the fluidity, the improvisation, the exploration - with the tropes of great rock.
Final verdict: Adore it (and sit back, zone out, and enjoy)
Showing posts with label jam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jam. Show all posts
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Point-Counterpoint: Extra Life - Secular Works
Braeden
If there is one way to describe Extra Life's debut album, it's overwhelming. Purely, sublimely, overwhelming. Secular Works is not the kind of album you come to really get your first or second (or, to be honest, even your tenth or twentieth) time through. It's such a hodgepodge of musical ideas, I'm not even sure where to start talking about it.
I suppose I'll start, arbitrarily, with the vocals. In terms of voice quality, they're nothing overwhelming or worth writing home about - but it's in the melody lines that are sung that the true genius lines. They weave through uncomfortable, foreign modes, far from the realm of normal, acceptable music. Here, the vocals are far more an instrument as part of the mix rather than the focal point for the listener.
And the rest of the music is equally baffling. The guitar work is frenetic and driven, while feeling completely improvised and free. So too are the violin and bass - all seem to be playing whatever they want, and yet they coincide at the necessary moments (signaled by the loud, brash drums) and the cacophony finds unity and harmony.
The music is not what one expects - it sounds like modal Gregorian chant ran headlong into an improvisational heavy metal outfit, pushing it into the side of an experimental violinist. It's not for the faint of heart, and I'm not surprised when people hear it and don't like it. But I do - a lot.
Final verdict: Adore it (with a mind for befuddlement)
Peter
Wow. Just wow. This was my first introduction to Extra Life, and what an introduction it is. There is sort of a "kitchen sink" mentality going on here. But that is odd, because it isn't as if there are tons of instruments or such here. It is more the feeling. The songs have so much going on rhythmically, melodically and harmonically that they feel packed to the brim, even in the more sparse moments.
The vocals certainly stand out. I'm still not sure if that is a good thing or not, but unique they are. The vocal melodies often contrast against the music, and seem almost haphazard. However, I have no doubt that, despite the apparent chaos in the music, it is all very planned out.
The end result is music that is anything but comfortable. You aren't going to be humming any of these songs when the disc is done. In fact, you probably aren't even going to remember most of the music when it is over, until you have listened again and again. It is, however, interesting and fascinating if you can get over the high "price of admission".
Final Verdict: Explore it (but you're going to need to be very sober to not be nauseated by the musical twists and turns)
If there is one way to describe Extra Life's debut album, it's overwhelming. Purely, sublimely, overwhelming. Secular Works is not the kind of album you come to really get your first or second (or, to be honest, even your tenth or twentieth) time through. It's such a hodgepodge of musical ideas, I'm not even sure where to start talking about it.
I suppose I'll start, arbitrarily, with the vocals. In terms of voice quality, they're nothing overwhelming or worth writing home about - but it's in the melody lines that are sung that the true genius lines. They weave through uncomfortable, foreign modes, far from the realm of normal, acceptable music. Here, the vocals are far more an instrument as part of the mix rather than the focal point for the listener.
And the rest of the music is equally baffling. The guitar work is frenetic and driven, while feeling completely improvised and free. So too are the violin and bass - all seem to be playing whatever they want, and yet they coincide at the necessary moments (signaled by the loud, brash drums) and the cacophony finds unity and harmony.
The music is not what one expects - it sounds like modal Gregorian chant ran headlong into an improvisational heavy metal outfit, pushing it into the side of an experimental violinist. It's not for the faint of heart, and I'm not surprised when people hear it and don't like it. But I do - a lot.
Final verdict: Adore it (with a mind for befuddlement)
Peter
Wow. Just wow. This was my first introduction to Extra Life, and what an introduction it is. There is sort of a "kitchen sink" mentality going on here. But that is odd, because it isn't as if there are tons of instruments or such here. It is more the feeling. The songs have so much going on rhythmically, melodically and harmonically that they feel packed to the brim, even in the more sparse moments.
The vocals certainly stand out. I'm still not sure if that is a good thing or not, but unique they are. The vocal melodies often contrast against the music, and seem almost haphazard. However, I have no doubt that, despite the apparent chaos in the music, it is all very planned out.
The end result is music that is anything but comfortable. You aren't going to be humming any of these songs when the disc is done. In fact, you probably aren't even going to remember most of the music when it is over, until you have listened again and again. It is, however, interesting and fascinating if you can get over the high "price of admission".
Final Verdict: Explore it (but you're going to need to be very sober to not be nauseated by the musical twists and turns)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)