When
one imagines the worlds of jazz and metal fused into one body
they might think of sloppy breakdowns lazily placed under insipid
lounge-jazz grooves, unless of course the album has been released
on labels such as Tzadik or Cuneiform. Cast these assumptions
aside because Mirthkon, an Oakland based sextet of heavy-jazz
crusaders have created a 4 track, 23minute EP that documents the
profound effect that heavy riffs can have on spooky leftfield
jazz melodics. Twisting and turning at frantic speeds, the sextet
produce a musically rich and complex soundscape that also brings
in to play elements of frenzied skronk and polyrhythmic neo-prog
dynamics to create a real rich concatenation of genres that could
easily fall apart in lesser hands. Although subtle and delicate
when needed, the whole package explodes forth with real urgency
thanks to propulsive guitar and bass workouts that provide such
an energetic foundation.
Freeform, counterpointing Woodwind instruments consisting of Saxophone
and Clarinets deliver gypsy-tinged freejazz-folk melodies loaded
with ethnic motifs that produce a Zornian aesthetic that lies
somewhere between the cryptic glory of the Masada series and the
hallucinogenic, carnivalesqe madness of Mr Bungle. This melodious
core of noir-ish tuneage gives the listener something tangible
to hold on to through the fast-paced, storm-riddled excursion
and this keeps things rather accessible and highly captivating.
What ‘Mirthkon’ do well is that they resist the temptation
to launch into one constant tirade of fluctuating, angular melodies
and pounding riffs. Instead they occasionally break up proceedings
by injecting atmospheric passages loaded with delicate percussive
clusters, freeform skree and micro-noodlings, thus heightening
the impact of the forthcoming jazz explosion. Saying that, the
sound occasionally does breaks free from its melodious core and,
as exemplified by the closing track ‘Trishna’, launches
into a cacophonous deep-fried assault of molten prog-jazz.
Melodic, heavy and ever so complex, ‘The Illusion of Joy’
is a densely layered and extremely rich body of music that is
constantly shifting like the ground below it is giving way. Several
listens to this 23 minute EP will still not make you wise to all
of its permutations which is what interesting music is all about.
Bring on the full length and I for one wouldn’t be surprised
if it’s released on the likes of Tzadik or Cuneiform! (KS)
For
fans of: Mr Bungle, ZAAR, Zappa, Dr Nerve, Dhysrhytmia, Djam Karet,
Flying Luttenbachers, Ephel Duath
|
