Tag: Emmett Elvin

Review – Emmett Elvin – Assault On The Tyranny Of Reason – by Shawn Dudley

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Earlier in 2016 I was finally introduced to the enjoyable wonders of Knifeworld via their latest album ‘Bottled Out Of Eden’.  In the ensuing months it has been one of my most played albums and has inspired me to check out the other releases the band members have participated in. One such release is the engagingly obtuse ‘Assault On The Tyranny Of Reason’ from Knifeworld keyboardist Emmett Elvin. Happily just as unique and vibrant, it’s another album that I can’t seem to get enough of.

Let’s get something out of the way right off the bat.  I’m not going to attempt to assign this album into a particular genre or style, with an album this diverse it would be a ludicrous attempt at categorization.  In 1968 The Amboy Dukes scored a hit single with a song called Journey To The Center Of The Mind, that title works better as a descriptor for ‘Assault On The Tyranny Of Reason’ than any preconceived genre tag would.  It’s a singular, personal work of an artist freely expressing himself; the rest of the journey is up to the listener.

The album is beautifully balanced; it consists of satisfyingly diverse instrumentals with a few vocal tracks mixed in throughout. While the various pieces aren’t necessarily connected to one another and cover a wide swath of stylistic ground it nevertheless sounds like a cohesive album experience.

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The playfully comic Boiling begins our journey and the impeccable quality of the arrangement and the production is immediately evident.  The strummed acoustic guitar introduction (reminiscent of Time Flies by Porcupine Tree), the lap-steel (or possibly pedal steel) slide guitar motif that segues into a Zappa-esque mix of carnival piano and a vocal line that brings to mind the more tongue-in-cheek aspects of King Crimson ala Happy Family. Then the soundscape expands to include a sweeping string section and wordless vocal choir that conjures visions of mid-period Led Zeppelin, the full effect heard beautifully in the instrumental coda.  While the influences are immediately evident, the resulting arrangement is wholly unique.

The use of orchestration (primarily strings and horns) is one of the most appealing elements of the album as a whole, whether used to add dramatic effect to a beautiful piano-driven instrumental piece like Dysnomia or fully integrated into a progressive rock workout like the thrilling, multi-layered Heartburster.  So many bands use orchestration as aural wallpaper, just slathering it onto everything to help disguise the fact that not much is going on underneath, to hear it used so successfully, so musically, is joyous to behold.

It’s really an album best experienced as a whole entity, to be enjoyed in a one sitting without interruption. While there isn’t a weak track on the album and each piece can exist completely on its own, it really becomes greater than the sum of its parts when viewed as an extended work. There is such a variety of mood and instrumental texture; it remains completely gripping throughout the 50-minute running time.

Some of my favorite individual pieces are the darker, more menacing cuts like the eerie The Democracy They Deserve and the wonderfully heavy, almost doom-like dirge of The Plankton Suite. The second half of which hints at what a collaboration between King Crimson and Opeth might sound like. I’m also especially fond of the more textural, avant-garde pieces like The Curate’s Eggnog, the bonus track Sphere Of The Deceiver and the joyful insanity of the title track. Of the vocal tracks my favorite is the gonzo Dozy Phantoms which reminds me a little of Josh Homme’s work with Queens Of The Stone Age.

Overall each listener is going to experience something quite unique when listening to ‘Assault On The Tyranny Of Reason’; the associations I bring to it likely won’t mirror the ones you experience.  That to me is one of the integral ingredients of great art, it’s not truly complete until the individual brings their own personality and experience to it.  Emmett Elvin has crafted a beautifully complex yet still highly accessible work and he respects the intelligence of his audience enough to let us complete that journey toward it. I highly recommend the destination, however you get there.

Released 23rd September 2016

Buy ‘Assault On The Tyranny Of Reason’ from Bad Elephant Music at bandcamp.

 

Review – Knifeworld – Bottled Out Of Eden – by Shawn Dudley

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I was unfamiliar with Knifeworld when the advance copy of ‘Bottled Out Of Eden’ arrived in my inbox and, following my usual practice, I decided to just listen to the album prior to researching anything about the band. Going in without any preconceptions is something that’s not always easy to accomplish these days since every release is plastered across social media months in advance. In the case of Knifeworld, a band that joyously throws in elements from a myriad of musical styles it was exactly the correct approach to take. The element of surprise runs throughout ‘Bottled Out Of Eden’.

Opening track High Aflame was an obvious choice for a single. The bouncy, effervescent arrangement is so addictive that it’s practically narcotic. The song begins in a mysterious fashion, a vaguely eastern-tinged drone that vocalist/guitarist Kavus Torabi uses as a pedal point to lay his vocal line over. It creates dramatic tension and heightens the anticipation of the full band entrance.

Knifeworld is a rarity in that they employ an octet format with two altos and a baritone sax creating a “little big band” vibe. This lineup allows them to bring in instrumental colorations that you don’t often hear in modern Prog . The main section of High Aflame is introduced by the horns playing a repeated figure as the band slowly swells in behind them. The groove is rock solid and creates a sense of brisk forward motion; the kind of song you want to hear blasting from the car stereo. Another unique aspect of the arrangement is the dual-lead vocals of Kavus and Melanie Woods, they employ dissonance and a harmonic tension which meld together nicely with the horn charts creating a sense that the band is actually larger than it is.

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Knifeworld is frequently described as psychedelic and, while there is most definitely an element of that in both arrangement and some of the instrumental choices, I think labeling them with that tag underestimates the breadth of influences at play here.

The Germ Inside demonstrates how effortlessly they balance these various elements. The opening piano introduction, and the knotty riff section that follow, are straight out of 70s progressive rock but then the verse section is a bright, swinging 4/4 with a vocal line that is reminiscent of 80s British pop. Just about the time you feel comfortable with where the arrangement is headed it veers off into a bridge that employs borderline atonal vocal harmonies. This dissonance is then transferred to the horn section for the restatement of the opening theme and the ride-out. Not an easy balance to strike, especially in a tight, under 5-minute arrangement.

My favorite track on the album is the impressively complex I Am Lost.  It eschews the relatively concise running time of the other tracks and allows the band to stretch out a little more.  Again the push & pull dynamic between the overt pop-leanings and the underlying experimental nature of the arrangement really enriches the overall flavor.   There is also a fantastic little funky riff that comes in during the outro and I could easily see the band being able to stretch this section out in live performance.

The horn section gets a brief time in the spotlight on Vision Of The Bent Path, a sadly all-too-brief introduction to the primarily instrumental I Must Set Fire To Your Portrait. This is a wonderfully dense, dark and rocking track that really shows off the power this octet can conjure. I’m especially fond of how the baritone sax is layered in with the heavy guitar riff in the outro section.

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While the overall impression of ‘Bottled Out Of Eden’ is relatively bright and sunny there is a dark undercurrent that runs throughout the album, an air of sadness and melancholy.  In the press release Kavus describes the album as “…a celebration of this all too fleeting life, as it is a reflection on death and its impact on those left behind in its wake”. I believe these songs perfectly attain that goal, as humans we’re all too familiar with the need to “laugh to keep from crying”. One of the most impressive examples of this duality is album-closer Feel The Sorcery, the joyous nature of the arrangement contrasts effectively with the sense of grief expressed in the lyrics and that mood seems to carry on even after the song has concluded.

Other highlights are the plaintive acoustic ballad Foul Temple (gorgeous horn chart with bassoon and clarinet), the ominous Lowered Into Necromancy that features a vaguely Zeppelin-esque acoustic guitar riff and the beautifully melancholic A Dream About A Dream.

I have a couple very minor caveats.  I would love to hear the horns get a chance to step forward a little more and maybe take some solos, they are beautifully employed on the album but being a major jazz fan I also kept hoping to hear them really cut loose. Also, while the production is a definite step forward from the prior album ‘The Unraveling’ it’s still a little claustrophobic sounding for my taste, a little boxy. As detailed and expansive as the arrangements are, I think a larger soundstage would have complemented them even further.

As a whole ‘Bottled Out Of Eden’ is an effective and eclectic experience. It’s not going to be an album for everyone as I think some of the more adventurous harmonic elements might be challenging for some listeners. But for those attuned to the more experimental and avant-garde it’s a pop album of rare substance.

Released 22nd April 2016

Pre-order ‘Bottled Out Of Eden from Inside Out