Motorpsycho + Jaga Jazzist Horns - In the Fishtank (Konkurrent)

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# Motorpsycho + Jaga Jazzist Horns - In the Fishtank
(Konkurrent)

Norwegian powerhouses Motorpsycho (swaggering rock and roll) and Jaga Jazzist (electronics + jazz) combine on the latest in the exciting In the Fishtank series. While not strangers to one another (apparently the two have collaborated on stage for jazz festival experiments), they have come up with a record that implies they've been working together and honing their collective strengths for years.

Fans of Tortoise take note: this record contains many ideas similar to those running through Tortoise's entire discography. The unlikely combination of jazz (a la both Miles Davis and John Coltrane), funk, soul, lounge, a touch of rock and roll and even a couple of strange minutes of 70's German electronic music is flawlessly executed. "Pills, Powders and Passion Plays" sounds like something Jim O'Rourke would have recorded with Tortoise for his Halfway to a Threeway EP, complete with crooned vocals. The incendiary funk of "Theme de Yoyo" is something I would expect Tarantino to pull out of his collection for use in another attempt to top the soundtrack for Reservoir Dogs (and which would have been perfect for Jackie Brown). The groove is considerably more laid back and melodic on "Doffen Ah Um" (it wouldn't surprise me if that title is a reference to Charles Mingus' Mingus Ah Um). The only flaw on the entire album comes on the last (and by far longest) track, "Tristano." At barely under 21 minutes long, the beginning is a repetitive and aimless mess. Exploding into the mix at the 9 minute mark is a shocking synthesizer part which recalls the best of Schulze & his German peers which kicks the song into overdrive, making up for any trespasses in the preceding minutes. It slowly becomes a mass of chaos and discordant melody, distorted guitar riffs, horn skronk and rolling drums when they bring in the whole crew for the climactic end.

Despite some incredible contributions to the In the Fishtank series from Low + Dirty Three, Tortoise + The Ex, and June of 44, this stands far above the rest as the most intricate and thought-out offering yet.

| sean hammond 2003 sep 22

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