Dry Humping the American Dream

It's a feat to capture the live energy of some bands on tape. Most often what occurs is a shallow representation of a powerful experience. Not so with "Dry Humping" - the folks at K-Sound Studios definitely pinned the meters on this one. It's a demanding affair to put all that sound into two channels. But what you wind up with is an aural assault that is as thoughtful as it is mean, articulate as it is nasty. Are you afraid of dissonance? Do you find yourself uncomfortable in anything other that 4/4? Don't worry, Gutbucket the Iconoclast is here to shatter your mind and spin your head like a top that's trying to avoid a whirlpool of sulfuric acid. (mid-review-plug: I hate reading about music. It's like talking about food - let's just EAT already! In other words, HEAR it for YOURSELF!) The Gutbucket experience to me feels like trying to ride atop a New York City Subway train like holding for dear life onto Falcor. Yeah, your brain might get seriously battered, but you'd also come away with a fantastic story! (that might never end...) In the world of "read the book, then see the movie", this disc is the 'book' to Gutbucket's live frenzied 'movie' - only this time, it's like "The Shining": the book and movie are both special in such different and exciting ways.

This review is probably useless to anyone who has already got Gutbucket's first album, as you won't need any more encouragement. To those that haven't yet, let me say that they should give them a try if they have time for a band that can combine the edge of Hasidic New Wave, the genre bending craziness of Estradasphere and the sheer energy of John Zorn's Naked city with an amazing level of musicianship, a solid jazz grounding and raw, rock and roll productions! I am a jazz as well as extreme metal fan, I like electronic music and the blues as well, and this band can do it all with an exciting sense of gusto and enthusiasm that has made them irresistible to me. They can be as cerebral as Mr Bungle, but with a sense of fun and a rockier attitude. They can reach total punk craziness via Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane or just give you some of the most lyrical and airy passages in unexpected arrangements. I wouldn't say that they are the most original band I have heard but their enthusiasm and audacity makes up for their few (if any) shortcomings.

ニューヨークはブルックリンの、サックス＋ギタートリオによる４人組変態ジャズロックバンドGutbucket の２００４年作品。近似したバンドとしてはX-Legged Sallyが近いかもしれないが、お国柄の違いかユーモアのセンスの問題か、はたまた変拍子とメロディの噛み合い方の問題なのか、個人的にはX-Legged Sallyの方が好み。また一部の作品はCuneiformレコードから出している通り、いわゆるソッチ系の音楽である。個人的には１曲目、リフのメロディが変奏の度にリズムとずれていく感覚が聞き込んでいると非常に気持ちイイ。