Izvajalec: MiRthkon
Založba: Altrock
Izid: year
Ocena: 4.2/5
miRthkon je zasedba iz Oaklanda, ki obstaja že vrsto let. Vodi jo kitarist in klaviaturist Wally Scharold. Vehicle je skupinin prvi pravi album, čeprav si človek, sodeč po glasbi, tega ne bi nikoli mislil. Res je tudi, da so pred to prvo studijsko zgoščenko izdali še EP in še par neuradnih izdaj, kjer so se že izkazali.
Kar se tiče stila in besedil, mislim, da so bili precej pod vplivom Franka Zappe. Vzeli so njegov pristop do glasbe in ga oplemenitili z lastnim pečatom. Njihov stil prepleta sloge kot so metal, jazz, avantgarda, rock in v glasbo vnaša še druge zadeve. Glasba je na trenutke precej trda in včasih spominja celo na Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (Dan Rathbun je odgovoren za mix na albumu, tako da povezava vsekakor obstaja). Lahko bi tudi rekli, da gre za metal z jazzovkimi pihali, torej ne ravno jazz-rock, ampak recimo jazz-metal, kar se meni zdi relativno sveže in zanimivo.
Album je precej kitarski. Oba kitarista prikažeta veliko, a tukaj ne gre zgolj za izkazovanje moči. Kitare so opazne ker so tako metalske, a tudi pihala so v ospredju. Spominjajo me na izvajalce kot so Gentle Giant, French TV, Picchio dal Pozzo, Zappa, Van Der Graaf Generator, Henry Cow, itd. So zelo jazzovska in zvenijo sila optimistično.
Album je v glavnem instrumentalen in glede na njihove kakovosti je to razumljivo. Vokalni deli so prisotni, vendar zelo redko. Jasno je, da vokali niso ravno najbolj pomembni. Uporabljeni so na zabaven način in zvenijo zelo podobno kot pri Zappi, na trenutke pa tudi kot pri Gentle Giant.
Vehicle je izvrsten album. Je zabaven, vendar pa to ni cenena zabava. Kompozicije so inteligentne, kot tudi besedila. Gre za domiselno kombinacijo metalskih rifov z jazzovskimi pihali. Ljubiteljem Zappe, skupin Henry Cow in Sleepytime Gorilla Museum bo zelo verjetno všeč tudi ta izdelek. Skupina je ustvarila res nov zvok in upam, da bodo še dolgo časa prisotni na glasbenem prizorišču.
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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.
Zasedba
Wally Scharold – kitare, klaviature, vokal
Rob Pumpelly – kitare
Nat Hawkes – bas kitara, vokal
Carolyn Walter – pihala
Jamison Smeltz – pihala, vokal
Matt Guggemos – bobni in tolkala
Produkcija
Wally Scharold
Seznam skladb
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
