(Cover by David Munkvold)
Rabeca - Potluck (self-released)
I think it's fairly safe to say that we're all in need of a bit of encouragement right now. Most of us have been stuck inside for at least a week and we miss our friends. The idea of getting together and spending time with each other over a meal sounds like a perfect panacea. Since we can't responsibly do that just yet, might I suggest Potluck?
The debut record from jazz pop quintet Rabeca brings those same feelings rushing back. It's the sound of good company filtered through a prism of springy fusion grooves. One can easily imagine each member of Rabeca constantly smiling through the album's creation process. While it was most certainly meticulously planned and structured, the tunes flow freely in a river of trust. More so than other genres, jazz and its family of subgenres are built on intra-band unity. Melodic lines are tossed between instruments ("Detective Sprout" is a great example), solos go for as long as they need, and everyone relies on their psychic musical connection.
At the center of Potluck's full-table spread are Colleen Cowie and Anna Dolde. The band's guitarist and saxophonist (respectively) drive a great deal of the album's melodic content. Their solos and lyrical playing are the color in between the lines, the main course. I'm slightly biased as a sax player myself, but you don't need to worry about that. This central unity is most apparent on lead single "Butter" - a funky slice of classic fusion.
Keyboardist Alex Rack fills in the gaps between lead and rhythm section, phasing in and out of the foreground as needed. Tracks like "A Lot of Things Are Edible If You Only Eat One" are anchored by his spectral playing (Dolde's solo on the back half is also upsettingly good). Since I'm already making the rounds of each member, some special love has to be reserved for the band's bedrock, bass and drums. Traditionally, rhythm section players are relegated to the wayside, but they are the most essential part of any band, jazz or not. The middle portion of "Tortilla Moon" gives David Munkvold and Satchel Bruna a brief moment to play around and show off, and I, at the very least, am grateful.
I wasn't sure if I was going to be able write today's column, given that everything is overwhelming and such. Then I started Potluck, and it just made me really happy. It only took a minute or two of listening to convince me that this is the reassuring hug that we need (and can actually receive). Rabeca offers a table of comfort food on Potluck, and we could all use a little comfort right now.
Gather Data Pray For Death - Taxidermy (self-released)
Rabeca is soothing. Gather Data Pray For Death is an unhinged opposite. The St. Paul experimental rock quartet follows up a 2017 pair of semi-self-titled EP and an excellent 2019 split with Cave Light with their most fully-formed statement yet in Taxidermy.
Its cohesive identity is surprising, given that the album's songs are collected from three different groupings: a trio of songs featuring vocals from departing member Shane Allen; a trio of cacophonous instrumentals that range "from the fully composed to the entirely improvised," according to the band; and the four "Mallrats" interludes, created by reversing tapes of department store Muzak. Tracks from all three groups are scattered across the album, so the listener never necessarily knows what they're going to get (well, except "Mallrats," if you pay attention to track names).
A great deal of the record's strength comes from the eclectic musicianship. The quartet plays with ideas of post-punk, noise rock, math rock and more — essentially, if you can imagine a type of "rock" music from the past 50 years, there's a good chance that GDPFD mixed it into their sonic melting pot. Each of the tracks featuring Allen's vocals would have functioned perfectly as instrumentals, though the addition of singing does added a burst of unfiltered energy (especially on "Fingers"). The raw proficiency of the band is best represented by the one-two-punch of "Out In It" and "Bright Green."
Taxidermy is an absurdist rock fantasia that will drown out any thoughts in your brain and replace them glorious, unrepentant noise. The group, consisting of Allen on vocals/guitar, Sam Benson on bass, Jay Carlson on drums, and Elliott Tadanier on guitar and tape machines, have articulately crafted one of the year's most expressive and insane rock albums. Listen below.
Its cohesive identity is surprising, given that the album's songs are collected from three different groupings: a trio of songs featuring vocals from departing member Shane Allen; a trio of cacophonous instrumentals that range "from the fully composed to the entirely improvised," according to the band; and the four "Mallrats" interludes, created by reversing tapes of department store Muzak. Tracks from all three groups are scattered across the album, so the listener never necessarily knows what they're going to get (well, except "Mallrats," if you pay attention to track names).
A great deal of the record's strength comes from the eclectic musicianship. The quartet plays with ideas of post-punk, noise rock, math rock and more — essentially, if you can imagine a type of "rock" music from the past 50 years, there's a good chance that GDPFD mixed it into their sonic melting pot. Each of the tracks featuring Allen's vocals would have functioned perfectly as instrumentals, though the addition of singing does added a burst of unfiltered energy (especially on "Fingers"). The raw proficiency of the band is best represented by the one-two-punch of "Out In It" and "Bright Green."
Taxidermy is an absurdist rock fantasia that will drown out any thoughts in your brain and replace them glorious, unrepentant noise. The group, consisting of Allen on vocals/guitar, Sam Benson on bass, Jay Carlson on drums, and Elliott Tadanier on guitar and tape machines, have articulately crafted one of the year's most expressive and insane rock albums. Listen below.
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