whitford - orson welles: planet devouring robot

dark-jazz-math-rock

Dancing on the line where jazz and rock collide. An album's worth of the moment before a storm.

Orson Welles: Planet Devouring Robot is Whitford's dynamic, hauntingly beautiful debut album, an instrumental immersion in eight string bass, electric guitar, saxophone and percussion. Recorded live and without overdubs in a small home in Pittsburgh, PA, the fourteen tracks of "Orson" oscillate between composition and improvisation, tension and sweet release.

planet devouring

free jazz meets death metal...

Free jazz meets Death metal where THE HUB is modern hybrid of jazz, funk, punk, & hardcore. This instrumental jazz trio does not play tunes that should be listened to on a romantic date.

"THE HUB, with a growing reputation as undiscovered gems, are rapidly developing a dedicated cult following." -BBC Radio 3

... a band whose appetite for far flung sounds often defies categorization and whose members, Sean Noonan, Tim Dahl, Dan Magay play with the conviction and ferocity of men on a mission. A look at their recent European tour schedule indicates that they could be on the road as often as AC/DC. After initially shocking audiences with their eclectic array of original compositions, THE HUB have earned a loyal fan base worldwide. HUB fans have even been known to travel up to six hours to see them perform.

"Maniacally exhilarating, gripping in its precision and energy, a real breath of fresh air." John Fordham - The Guardian (U.K)

THE HUB is creating a new movement in jazz joining diverse music listeners from the hard core/metal, punk, new music, and electronic music scenes. Their latest album release "Trucker" is another existential leap...

"Clearly a totally new form of music with an aggressive heavy metal touch belied by a jazz sensibility and control." Jeremy Hurewitz - Prague Post

"Trucker" comes straight out of the Brooklyn underground music scene where they create a sonic amalgam of hip-hop, hardcore, punk, funk, and freeform jazz improvisation. All of these modes lead to music with originality.... an irresistible force for progressive music listeners everywhere.

the truck - hubber

minus - dark lit

On their long-awaited new album, Dark Lit, local power trio Minus does much to negate the assertion that the classic rock of the '60s, '70s and '80s left the guitar without further avenues of exploration."

"Mark France coaxes tones both subtle and overt out of his customized Frankenstein of a guitar. He demonstrates in the process how much of the rock canon has been excluded over the years by rejecting the influences that progressive rock, fusion and the avant-garde sought to incorporate"

This is music all-consuming in its beauty and power, and not to be missed either as studio product or live shenanigens.

Hailing from the small Oregon based label New & Improv, Minus is an improvisational "power trio" with something of a dark, menacing style. Those familiar with Bozzio Levin Stevens or Attention Deficit wouldn't be surprised with what they find here. Dark Lit is noisy guitar/bass/drums improv rock, occasionally augmented with some synths, loops, and a little turntable work from label mate DJ Scratch 'n Sniff.

The use of programmed loops and other electronics adds a small extra dimension to Minus' sound, separating them from some of their improv rock colleagues. Don't expect electronica, however, as this is still first and foremost guitar-led rock - just with a sprinkle of dub.

Technically, they might not be as crisp as a Bozzio Levin Stevens, but they display maturity and avoid falling into the "let's turbo-jam!" pit trap of other projects like this. They occasionally get a bit jerky and spastic, and sometimes get locked into one riff for a bit too long. Fortunately, this is the exception rather than the rule.

"Acidflesh", easily the highlight of the album, demonstrates the strength of the band: the guitar and drums run circles around a steady looped melody and synth moans.

Minus are intriguing and entertaining improv rock. There really isn't anything that's completely mind-blowing, but Dark Lit has enough high points to recommend to fans of the style.

darkly lit

fat little bastard - idiosyncphony

Fat Little Bastard met while studying at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in the late 90's.
They are a dynamic, eclectic guitar trio that crosses diverse musical boundaries with a unique rock sensibility. Originally joining forces in a full rock band, the group frequently snuck away to play sessions as a trio while they spent countless hours jamming, inventing grooves, exploring texture, melody and time signature. Various influences were brought to the table and a sound was born... a bastard if you will. What came about was something special and unique.

With influences ranging from Hendrix to Raymond Scott to Thelonious Monk, the band's original music is laced with wit and infused with turn-on-a-dime improvisations. There is a definite rock foundation, but you’ll also come across signs of jazz, klezmer, country and the avant.

Idiosyncphony is a continuation of the trio's adventurous foray into the realms of what one can only describe as "bastardly". From gospel-ish tunes to African inspired jams, funky slide guitar to avant waltzes with banjo and theremin, the new record really has it all.

Live performances from the Lizard Lounge and Harper’s Ferry in Boston to CBGB’s in New York to the Waiting room in Burlington, VT have racked up many enthusiastic listeners.

idiosyncphony

bift [wildman glassmeyer moran]

Sean Moran (guitar), Jason Wildman (drums) and Matt Glassmeyer (saxophone, buzzaphone and other miscellaneous sounds and samples) surgically drop convention in instrumentation and composition while piquing curiosity through ten tracks. The trio's unencumbered improvisation is the three-legged planchette that pulses around the Ouija Board, spelling out any number of calming to shocking results.

bift

animal - lp1 + live on kfjc radio

Here is the long awaited avant-crazy Animal explosion. The self titled album, LP out on UNFUN is the combined efforts of Patrick and Alexander, both destroying the minds of NY gangsters and NYU dropouts with their improvisational fury. The two piece features a barrage of guitars from Pat, and Hella-esque ranting drum beats by Alexander. All proceeds of this album will benefit the bands conquest of the Americas as they plan their Summer 2006 tour. Tracks on this album range from conceptually frustratingly, to intensely trippy. Not for the weak or immature musical taste.

animal - lp
live on kfjc radio

friendly action

Action Friend's heavy debut immediately penetrates your warm, wet, sonic psyche--whether you like it or not--and that's how it is for the rest of this erratic, yet well-planned and expertly-executed sonic voyage into the genre blending, grunge-saturated, mind-fuck zone. You will either love it or hate it, but its not going to stop.

Track one, "Powerbate" instantly erupts hardcore/grunge style just long enough to get the hard head-nod rhythm going before sliding into rapid, Herman Munster-like surf for a few measures--complete with old-school hand claps--before bridging into some very stony, traditional reggae. Then, it spazzmodically returns to the original furious brain bashing. Just when you feel the rhythm and think you know where these songs are going, they make abrupt shifts in style, tone, speed, and direction.

While other fusion bands seamlessly blend in and out of various styles, Action Friend's genre-bending is much more segemented while also remaining clearly connected to what came before. It's like being thrown around on a rough carnival ride that has a few deliberately broken bolts and no restraining bar. Track three, "Decorator's Lament" evolves from a hip-swivelling ditty to a Dick Dale-like surf tune, to a brief double-bass fueled Slayer-like metal interlude, more Melvins-ish coagulated fuzz, and some of that creepily-soothing muzak stuff, before allowing all of these elements to dance in and around each other.

There are no words; only seven expertly-executed tracks of delightfully weird rhythmic concoctions--with added pummeling by Melvins' Dale Crover--that create a strong sense of deliberate madness (Razorcake.org)

Action Friend bandcamp
 

a blow to the cranium

cranium - 'pragmatics'

"This CD showcases Cranium in it's earlier stages of developing a new vision for metal and instumental music in general. Some of the compositions are built much like jazz tunes, using a head-solos-head format, and emphasizing the individual talents of the three members of the band while still creating a strong, tight, and cohesive group sound. The music also borrows melodically and rhythmically from Middle Eastern and world music. Strongly influenced by artists as wide ranging as King Crimson, Rabih-Abou Khalil, John Zorn, Meshuggah, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Screaming Headless Torsos, Dave Holland Quintet, Ornette Coleman, Krysyztof Penderecki, James Brown, Helmet, Napalm Death, and Weather Report, just to name a few.

The overall musical aim is to allow the disparate musical interests of the individual band members to gel together to create a new kind of music while remaining fiercely uncompromising in it's creation and performance." -- cdbaby

features former members of december

riyl: keelhaul, breadwinner, collapsar, icepick revival (sans vox), the fucking champs, don caballero, meshuggah, helmet, loincloth, or any odd-timed jazz-flavored tech metal

pragmatize yer cranium

nap attack - choose your own adventure + demo

this unique double bass + drummer trio is sadly no longer together ... nap attack could easily be described as prototypical math-rock.... they use no distortion & have a very organic sound....

from cdbaby - "an instrumental math rock three piece combining precision chaos with melodic sensibility... "

get it