Speak

Speak
Origin Recordings
Jazz | Jun 2010

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2010-09-05
SPEAK: Speak
Origin, 2010

POSTMODERN JAZZ – Powerful, futuristic quintet out of Seattle (including Cuong Vu on trumpet) brings heavy doses of rock bombast, well-placed electronic distortion and a little bit of avant-garde noise to six off-kilter jazz tunes. And they do it very nicely, keeping things fresh and engaging while holding the noodling and posturing to a minimum. Lots of bands go for this sound now, but few are this good.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 3, 4

1. 6:53 – propulsive: builds to smashing climax, then settles into oblique lines
2. 8:10 – melody flows nicely; solos drift across a broad, technicolor plain
3. 9:41 – brisk, unrelenting cycles broken up by scribbled sax, psycho trumpet
4. 9:23 – rises from moody quiet to a chunky stomp, turns calm, heroic ending
5. 5:58 – starts angular and jazzy; then screeching noise over thudding chords
6. 4:57 – very slow with heavy atmosphere, builds up, unresolved ending

[ Fo ] 09/05/10

Recent airplay

Amalgam In The Middle
public noize racketNov 03, 2010
Litany Split
Music CasseroleOct 02, 2010
Amalgam In The Middle
No Cover, No MinimumSep 21, 2010
Mustard Knuckles
Chopped LiverSep 15, 2010
Polypockets
Memory SelectSep 09, 2010
Mustard Knuckles
Chopped LiverSep 08, 2010

Charting

2010-09-05 — 2010-11-07 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Nov 7 1
Oct 3 1
Sep 26 1
Sep 19 1
Sep 12 2

Track listing

1. Amalgam In The Middle
2. People Or Cats
3. Polypockets
4. Mustard Knuckles
5. Pure Hatred
6. Litany Split