December 27, 2011

Both the first and second Jigsaw jams are pretty straightforward and forgettable. I also don’t care about the drum solo at all. The HAB jam is fantastic. It’s got a very airy, laid back feel to it, and Magner’s plucky synths color the upper register in a very pretty way. This is Blissco vibes for sure, and the transition into Naeba is absolutely gorgeous. There’s no jam between Naebe and DOTSPF, nor back into Naeba. However, the jam out of Naeba is very pretty. Honestly, more Blissco, which is really nice. They get into a very syncopated little jam between Barber and Magner, and the overall effect is pleasantly hypnotic. As they switch into the Gangster track, they get much darker and more dissonant. The jam out of Gangster back into HAB is pretty, but isn’t nearly long enough to warrant a re-listen, and stays pretty tightly inside the box.

Triumph has two fairly distinct jams. The first is a sort of downtempo funk jam. This almost sounds like it’s headed for A Fifth of Beethoven or something, at points. This is okay, but doesn’t move me too much. At the 12:30 point they shift dramatically, and the band makes a deliberate effort to increase tempo and switch the overall feel of the jam. The rest of this is okay, but the drop into AC2B is absolutely atrocious (Barber, looking at you). The AC2B jam begins with a very sparse jam from the band. Basically everybody lays back in the mix to start this jam, which offers a neat little feel. This builds fairly nicely, but around the 10-11-minute marks they get stuck in a “repeater” jam which feels like they’re just treading water. They hit the landing in an okay way, but overall this just left me waiting for the end of the song. The first few minutes of SRB feel like they’re crafting something really solid. This feels like groundwork laying, which I never have a problem with. However, this doesn’t really lead anywhere, and they eventually start another jam altogether. Meh. Despite abandoning that theme, the new theme they land on has some really eerie, dissonant stuff going on. I don’t think this ever fully lands for me, but at the very least it’s really unique which I always appreciate. The Buddha jam is unusual. Magner relies very heavily on arpeggiators and odd sounds here. I think Barber and Brownstein lie in the pocket nicely. This warrants relistening, and while it’s not the best example of this type of jam, it coalesces into a really nice groove. The first Robots jam is not entirely a throwaway, but I don’t find it all that redeeming either. They have a nice two-measure/two-chord theme that dominates most of this jam. It doesn’t move me a whole lot, but any time the band is communicating this well, it’s at least a net positive. The second Robots jam is a DNB jam featuring Magner using an acid house lead. Allen’s snare work here is phenomenal, but beyond that there’s not much that stands out to me. The Wet encore is standard.

Highlights: HAB, Naeba*, Buddha*