June 29, 2007

There’s a short ambient/space intro prior to the start of Memphis. I like this, even if it’s just a minute or two. First Memphis jam is forgettable. Second jam gets a nice extended treatment, and Magner’s use of the angel choir patch here is great. This is haunting and interesting, and has a great groove throughout. However, the best part of this is the end of this jam. They legitimately sound like they’re headed for an insane Basis intro. The entire band builds up in this cacophony of dark, dissonant noise. I feel like Barber could have slammed into the HAB intro a little better, but beyond that minor complaint, this is absolutely awesome. The HAB jam is way too jammy and piano-heavy for me. The initial jam out of 42 is not bad, but not memorable either. However, as the band settles into what is obviously the intro jam for Orch Theme, Magner comes up with some great, psychedelic odyssey leads. This is really nice. The middle jam in Orch Theme reminds me of something a lot. I’m not even sure what it is, but there’s something that Magner’s string melody is very reminiscent of. Anyway, I liked this. The second Orch jam is very thematic, and also very solid. Lots of great stuff going on here between Barber and Magner. Both Mulberry’s jams are short type 1 jams, and IRW is jamless.

Highlights: Memphis (Intro, 2**), 42*, Orch (1, 2)