Izvođač: MiRthkon
Izdavač: Altrock
Izdano: 2009
Ocjena: 4.2/5
miRthkon je sastav iz Oaklanda koji postoji već niz godina. Predvodi ga gitarist i klavijaturist Wally Scharold. Vehicle je prvi pravi album benda, iako čovjek, sudeći po glazbi, to nikad ne bi pomislio. Istina je i da su prije ovog prvog studijskog albuma izdali još jedan EP i nekoliko neslužbenih izdanja na kojima su se već dokazali.
Što se tiče stila i tekstova, mislim da su bili poprilično pod utjecajem Franka Zappe. Uzeli su njegov pristup glazbi i oplemenili ga vlastitim pečatom. Njihov stil spaja žanrove poput metala, jazza, avangarde, rocka i u glazbu unosi još poneku stvar. Glazba je na trenutke poprilično teška, a povremeno podsjeća čak i na Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (Dan Rathbun zaslužan je za miks albuma, tako da veza definitivno postoji). Mogli bismo reći i da je riječ o metalu s jazzovskim puhačima, dakle ne baš jazz-rocku, nego recimo jazz-metalu, što mi se čini relativno svježim i zanimljivim.
Album je poprilično gitaristički. Oba gitarista pokazuju puno, ali ovdje nije riječ samo o pokazivanju snage. Gitare se ističu jer su tako metalne, ali i puhači su u prvom planu. Podsjećaju me na izvođače poput Gentle Giant, French TV, Picchio dal Pozzo, Zappe, Van Der Graaf Generator, Henry Cow itd. Vrlo su jazzoliki i zvuče silno optimistično.
Album je uglavnom instrumentalan i s obzirom na njihove kvalitete to je razumljivo. Vokalni dijelovi su prisutni, ali vrlo rijetko. Jasno je da vokali nisu baš najvažniji. Upotrijebljeni su na zabavan način i zvuče vrlo slično kao kod Zappe, a povremeno i kao kod Gentle Giant.
Vehicle je izvrstan album. Zabavan je, ali to nije jeftina zabava. Kompozicije su inteligentne, kao i tekstovi. Riječ je o domišljatoj kombinaciji metalnih rifova s jazzovskim puhačima. Ljubitelji Zappe, grupa Henry Cow i Sleepytime Gorilla Museum vrlo će vjerojatno uživati i u ovom izdanju. Bend je stvorio doista nov zvuk i nadam se da će još dugo ostati prisutan na glazbenoj sceni.
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miRthkon is an Oakland based band who has now been around for a number of years. It’s led by guitarist and keyboard player Wally Scharold. Vehicle is the band’s first album, although judging by the music, you wouldn’t think so. It’s also true that previous to this full-length CD, miRthkon have released an EP and some unofficial material, which also received an enthusiastic reception.
I think the band owes a lot to Frank Zappa when it comes to their style and lyrics (sense of humour). They seemed to have taken his musical aesthetic and put their own stamp on it. Their style fuses such things as metal, jazz, avant-garde, rock and other elements as well. The music is very heavy at times, reminiscent even of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (Dan Rathbun mixed the album, so there is a connection to that band). One could almost say that this is metal with jazz woodwinds, not jazz-rock but something like jazz-metal, which to me sounds fairly new and very mouth-watering.
The album is very guitar-oriented. We can hear great playing from the two guitarists, but it’s never about guitar heroics. The guitars are so noticeable because of the heavy style, but the woodwinds are in the foreground as well. They remind me of such artists as Gentle Giant, French TV, Picchio dal Pozzo, Zappa, Van Der Graaf Generator, Henry Cow, etc. They are very jazzy and have a feel-good quality about them.
The album is mostly instrumental and with qualities like miRthkon have, this is understandable. There are vocals, however they are scarce. It’s clear that the vocals aren’t really their main objective here. They’re used in a humorous way, sounding very much like Zappa and even Gentle Giant at times.
This is a great album. It’s fun, but it doesn’t bring cheap laughs. The music and lyrics are intelligent and well though-out. An inventive combination of metal riffs with a backdrop of jazz woodwinds. Fans of Zappa, Henry Cow and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum will love this. A truly new sound from a band that will hopefully be around for a long time. Their name just about says it all. On the surface they exhibit mirth, but if you delve deeper there’s a lot of menace hidden underneath it as well and you know that it’s only an illusion of mirth. So, a band that can be listened to on several levels and enjoyed on just as many.
Postava
Wally Scharold – gitare, klavijature, vokal
Rob Pumpelly – gitare
Nat Hawkes – bas-gitara, vokal
Carolyn Walter – puhači
Jamison Smeltz – puhači, vokal
Matt Guggemos – bubnjevi i udaraljke
Produkcija
Wally Scharold
Popis skladbi
1. Congratulations
2. Flashbulb of Orgasm
3. Banana
4. Automaton
5. Zhagunk
6. Kharms Way
7. Daddylonglegz
8. Coven of Coyotes
9. Johnny Yen
10. Bappscliophuaega
11. Trishna
12. Honey Key Jamboree
13. The Black Fruit
14. Camelopardalis
