June 13, 2014

Not notated: Dribble 2nd jam has Mortal Kombat theme

Waves begins with the usual dark, fast trance jam. Around the 7-minute mark, the band markedly shifts and switches to a major key theme, seemingly from nowhere. They develop a wonderful Blissco jam, very reminiscent of old school jamming. There is very little electronic about this particular jam, and the entire band fires on all cylinders. Even though this theme lasts only 3 minutes, it’s truly a remarkable little piece of music, and built so effortlessly by the band. Great stuff. The first Dribble jam is very solid, and this is coming from somebody who is not typically a fan of Dribble 1 jams. I’m not sure this gets to a point where I’d relisten to it, but more satisfying than a usual Dribble 1 jam. The apple buttered toast section is extended significantly. I wouldn’t go as far as calling this a “jam,” but it lasts a few minutes, basically consisting of a Magner solo. The Dribble 2 jam begins with a driving house beat. Allen can’t seem to decide if he wants the e-kick or regular kick, and for a minute or two, this is pretty distracting. Beginning at 21:25 he starts dropping an e-kick on the first beat of some measures, then eventually brings it in on each beat, then back to just some beats, etc. This is not only distracting but actively ruins the jam for me. This is disappointing since this would otherwise be an interesting jam. I audibly sighed in relief when he finally returned to his acoustic kick only. The band’s slide into Crickets is really neat.

The first Crickets jam is phenomenal. It has a laid back trance groove, and this is honestly exactly what I want from Crickets 1 jams. The entire band is playing so restrained, and Magner’s placement and phrasing here is lovely. Barber keeps strumming along with the band, providing texture but not overpowering. They actually develop a chord progression that sounds a lot like a laid-back-trance version of Home Again. This is absolutely wonderful, and the transition into the Crickets peak is done nearly perfectly as well. The 2nd Crickets jam begins with a fairly generic funk jam, but turns into something special. They develop a great theme, and build a really solid peak as well. Home Again has a solid funk jam in it, and the entire band hits a really nice groove. Not breaking any new ground, but well-done.

Viola Lee Blues is not my thing. The jam out of Kamaole Sands is really nice. Sort of a Blissco vibe, although this feels almost a little pre-rehearsed. I’m not sure if this is a jam on something or what, but it sure is nice, whatever it is. The Confrontation jam doesn’t do much for me. The On Time sounds like it has a Shakedown Street tease (maybe?) from Brownstein. Overall, the On Time jam is kinda mediocre midtempo funk. They eventually pick up the pace and get into a trance jam. While I love the lick Barber plays for a good chunk of this jam, the jam as a whole is pretty predictable. The majority of the Story jam is pretty mediocre, but after the switch to the Spacebird track, they hit a phenomenal theme. Specifically, at 1:15 and beyond, the band is absolutely locked in. Spacebird has a RLH tease from Barber and Brownstein. In fact, I’d call this closer to a “jam” as the whole band plays the theme multiple times. The rest of the jam is just far too meandering, and they never really decide what they want to do. Meh.

Highlights: Waves**, Crickets (1**, 2), Home Again, Kamaole, Story

First cover of viola lee blues? Its a patient build and a very distinctly dance friendly biscuits version played with some balls