Reviewed: 2018-04-20
Genre: Jazz (x)
FCCs: none
Review: Equally nostalgic and progressive, the band mixes the upbeat bounce of 1990s house music with dismal funk and psych-rock, landing on a sound that feels tethered to disaster, like the soundtrack of a party that will soon dissolve. Across this album, there’s a sense of cataclysmic despair, that the world is ending and there’s nothing left to do but dance to the apocalypse. Lifeforce is an album in the truest sense, with each song blending into the next for continuous listening. Mostly low- to mid-tempo, the band skillfully integrates bleak and radiant tones, leading to an impressive nine-track suite of ambient, spoken-word and grime-infused compositions.
If You Like: Sun Ra, Flying Lotus, Eric Dolphy, Woodwired, Victor Haskins, Van der Graf Generator
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
*1/ Because The End Is Really The Beginning - synth drone starts slow & builds in volume> music rolls in in waves> slows to fade
**2/ Birth Of Creation – bass clarinet starts> midtempo heavy percolating pulsating jam> sonic sax solo> spacey synth solo> fade
3/ Summon The Fire – synth starts> fast pulsing beat morphs into fast tempo rocking jam> rocking synth solo> fast jam> quick stop
4/ Blood Of The Past – shimmering synth starts> midtempo heavy sonic jam with repetitive riff sifts gears into midtempo synth driven sonic jam with female spoken word over the top painting an apocalyptic vision> heavy sonic sax solo morphs into heavy sonic space jam> slow noisy fade
*5/ Super Zodiac – shimmering synth starts> uptempo pulsing electronics & drum machine swing into fast rocking jam with repetitive sax riff over the top> swings even faster> drums/synth duet> fast jam> fade on high sonic drone morphs into next track
*6/ Astral Flying – high sonic drone morphs into midtempo jam with shimmering pulsing synth waves & bass clarinet> switches gears into mellow space jam with bass clarinet over the top> fade
*7/ Timewave Zero – pulsing synth starts> swings uptempo> fast drum solo> fast sax solo over the top with washes of synth> fast jam builds in tempo> quick fade on pulsing synth
8/ Unity – synth starts> midtempo straight ahead jam, constantly evolving> synth solo> midtempo jam> slow fade
*9/ The Universe Wakes Up – synth drone starts quiet & slow and builds in volume> sax joins> midtempo expanding jam> wild sax solo to fade