Chon – ‘Grow’ [Review]

My face seems to think it’s Halloween, because I can’t stop grinning like a carved-up pumpkin after hearing this album.

CHON are a truly unique band capable of blending Disney-cute melodies with hard-driving hypersyncopated grooves (as on Grow opener Book, featuring Animals As Leaders drummist Matt Garstka) and intimidating time signature changes (second track But, again pinned down by AAL’s animalistic skin-beater). Add in sparkly fusion chords, polished-but-not-clinical production, and sublime vocals (entering on Can’t Wait) and…damn. If you’ve not been scared off by the six-letter F-word, this is your dream come true.

Highlights? How about every single moment? This may sound hyperbolic, but fuck it – it’s true. Grow has been Read more…

Posted on 09 September 2015

The Blessed Beat – ‘MiV’ [Review]

Understatement of the day: Charles Bukowski is a little bit influential. Hailed as a literary hero after publishing his debut novel Post Office at the age of 50, Bukowski’s fingerprints can be found all over Californication (the hit US TV show whose protagonist, Hank Moody, was partially based on Bukowski); legendary journalist Neil Strauss’s disturbing seducer’s memoir The Game; and now, this album of beyond unsettling, straight plain fucked up instrumental jazz-rock.

MiV is primarily influenced by Bukowski’s short story The Copulating Mermaid Of Venice, Calif. – a not exactly family friendly tale about Read more…

Posted on 16 August 2015

The Aristocrats – ‘Tres Caballeros’ [Review]

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Almost nobody in the world has mastered the art of instrumental mindfuckery to the degree the Aristocrats have. This fusion-powered power trio (Guthrie Govan on guitar, Bryan Beller on bass, and Marco Minnemann on drums) have been hailed as heroes the world over, and for a number of reasons:

Reason 1: Virtuosity. The musicianship on display throughout Tres Caballeros is nothing short of world-class. Considering the pedigrees of the players involved, this is hardly a surprise – but nonetheless, on a technical level this album is crammed full of brain-stunningly inventive moments and axe / stick / finger gymnastics that deserve recognition. Tres Caballeros is the sound of master musicians pushing Read more…

Posted on 23 June 2015

Marco Minnemann – ‘Celebration’ [Review]

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Considering Marco Minnemann’s EEPS was TMMP’s second-favourite album of 2014, expecting its successor to top it might seem somewhat unreasonable on paper. Still, with Celebration Marco has done just that. For this 18-track (very) long player, the lighthearted quirky-playful approach which permeated EEPS has been largely set aside in favour of grim, determined seriousness.

Opening tune Miami sets the tone with thrashy guitar, ominous brass, the occasional spy movie chord, and some cheeky synths to remind us that behind it all, Marco Minnemann’s sense of the tongue-in-cheek is Read more…

Posted on 04 June 2015

Morning Bound – ‘Morning Bound EP’ [Review]

The hell with the UK. I’m moving to NYC.

New York has long been associated with none-more-cool music of assorted kinds, and this EP continues that home-town tradition by eschewing norms and traditions in favour of a purely eccentric, experimental approach to composition and performance. I Did Fine features Read more…

Posted on 15 April 2015