organ

and we'll be playing the Vessels album for the first time on the Organ show at 9.00pm tonight on Resonance FM - the album is every bit as good as we expect it would be... you can hear the show worldwide via www.resonancefm.com

this week ORGAN - OTHER ROCK SHOW - despite the lack of listings this week on the Resonance FM website, we are on tonight, Sunday at 9.00pm, this week Marina's OTHER ROCK SHOW and an hour of exploring rock music that flies beyond the conventions of 4/4 - that means unusual time signatures, mathy progressive adventure and other rock tabooisms - and this week we have loads of exciting new stuff. 9.00PM this Sunday night - Capillary Action have to be heard, see this week's Organ review at http://www.organart.com

ORGAN ALBUM OF THE WEEK


CAPILLARY ACTION - So Embarrassing (Pangaea) - Thrilling maximalism that has me rubbing my hands with glee straight away. A whole album's worth of perversely complex, er, pop... that has chunks of different genres popping up unexpectedly like the good bits in a stew made of gourmet leftovers. Capillary Action revel in juxtaposition, in smacking contrasting sections of feel and orchestration together... cut-up, but flowing because it sounds so one-take live despite the complex instrumentation. They've been around for getting on to four years, been gigging like crazy all over America. It's the brainchild of one Jonathan Pfeffer, surrounding a core live band of bass, drums and keyboards with horn, string and classical percussionist. Avant rock then, and straight away up there with the small circle of current exemplaries: Ahleuchatistas, Cheer-Accident, Upsilon Acrux, Time Of Orchids, Tera Melos, Koenjihyakkei, Behold..The Arctopus etc - and Mr Bungle and Cardiacs. And the really nice thing about this is - they're a new voice, real one-offs whilst hinting at the other pioneers.
Hearing So Embarrassing for the first time promises hours of listening pleasure, squillions of replays catching those brilliant angular tunes and rich textures and brilliant riffs flying past, hearing something new every time. The album's not some technical showing-off exercise, mind you - it's way past all that nonsense, its about imagination and energy and relish. Frank Zappa is a massive reference point of course, particularly his narrative and satirical work, but Pferrer's voice - honeyed, proper singing a la Mike Patton - and words are all gritted teeth and angst, subtler. Actually, Capillary Action have everything: amazing dynamics, glorious arrangements, superb production (courtesy of Colin Marston, who's worked with Orthrelm and Behold The Arctopus) and big, bold tunes to hold it all together. There's surely a bit of a Time Of Orchids influence in the way the melodies shift and twist harmonically, but less extreme and way easier to listen to. Pocket Protection Is Essential and the Latin excursions in Badlands sound like classic Mr Bungle... but better. The Chaperone sounds like Cardiacs with added jazz and classical and a touch of Hella. Several tracks are the nearest anyone else has sounded to Darling Freakhead. Oh yes, if only Mr Bungle were still around, and maybe their new album would be as good as this.. By now, I guess that if you're familiar with some of the bands listed earlier, whatever you want to call them (avant, Other Rock, the New Weirdass, make it up) you're either going oh yeah, really? or you're dribbling and prodding your Google Toolbar, in which case let's save you a bit of time and point you towards www.capillaryaction.net or www.pangaearecordings.com or www.myspace.com/pangaearecordings - meanwhile this mad earfood with its seamless transitions from lounge jazz to thrash fusion to dainty prog to avant classical is churning away in its own world, flashing diamond tunes as it goes. Sorted out? Right, leave me alone, I'm listening....

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