 
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.
|
