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A VIBERATTO— A
(King of Beasts Records)
Instrumental albums often have a difficult time
staking claim in a world so enamored of vocals.
Thankfully, A Viberatto’s A is here to set the
record straight.
A is a thoroughly pleasing journey through the life of Pet Sounds as
recorded by French down-tempo electronic duo Air. But while such a
comparison draws worry over unfinished vocals, A is a complete work,
one led by Jimmy Goodman’s vibraphone, synthesizers and piano. Over
11 tracks with single word titles, Goodman’s vision is as clear as a walk
across a frozen lake on a winter morning, or perhaps the fireside respite
which immediately follows. There’s warmth here, but also a majestic
distance that transcends.
PERROTTA— TONIGHT
(Perrotta Music)
Tonight opens with its title track, a slo-fi crawl as perfectly sparse as
anything from the first few albums by Low. But unlike that celebrated
trio, Perrotta quickly takes the music in a different direction on the
second song, “Someone Like You,” which is
also a slower number, but one which sounds
a bit like Smashing Pumpkins used to before
Billy Corgan disappeared up his own ego.
And so goes Tonight, a 12-track release which
condenses everything you used to love about
college radio into one splendidly emotional
package. It all starts with Sarah Perrotta,
who plays a variety of keyboard-based
instruments, including Moog and Wurlitzer.
But even more essential to the Perrotta sound
is her voice, a thrillingly versatile instrument in its own right,
equally comfortable delicately lilting and soaring through the
skies. It does both on “Conquer Me.”
Also absolutely integral is the work of Johnnie Wang,
who strafes the landscape with incendiary guitar, and Will
Olsen, whose complex rhythms aren’t just comfortable with
legendary guest bassist Tony Levin, but also know when to say
when, filling in space and driving the machine without ever
taking it off the rails.
“Falling to Pieces” is the love song you forgot you needed and “Want
You Here” is the dirge for a love you didn’t know you lost. Song by
captivating song, Tonight strikes the right chord from beginning to end.
—Crispin Kott
www.perrottamusic.com
30 | rollmagazine.com
Goodman rolls out the superstars on the first two
tracks—“Polar” and “Riiver”—whose contributions
include those from Tony Levin and Garth Hudson (the
latter also appears later, playing melodica on “Rooster”). But while those
songs feature the greatest number of musicians in total, they blend in
well with the rest of the album, a collection refreshingly free of anything
jarring or brash. It’s a soundtrack to the most relaxing day of your life.
If you like your mellow with an awful lot of depth, A Viberatto’s A is
where it’s at. —Crispin Kott
www.kingofbeastsrecords.com
ANNA CHEEK— WATER OVER THE BRIDGE
(Chestnut Records)
Describing the sound of Anna Cheek’s voice is nearly impossible, so
perhaps it makes more sense to talk about how it feels to listen to it. It’s
unsettling, but so are a lot of things you actually love. It’s unique, not
necessarily in what it sounds like, but what it does. She’s an artist in
every sense of the concept, especially with her voice.
Witness “Fountainhead,” on which Cheek directs the musical core
with a vocal at once unwieldy and terrific. This is followed by the
absolutely stellar “Midnight Blue Sky,” with a chorus that amps up
the notion of arms aloft singalongs in splendid fashion.
“Pretender” opens with the shimmering sound of something in reverse
before one of the most intriguing drum tracks in recent memory joins
Cheek’s piano and forlorn vocal. It’s perhaps the
album’s standout track, though it’s difficult to pick
just one with such a wealth of wonder at one’s
disposal.
Who this album is for is a mystery, because it’s
really for anyone who longs for sophisticated
music that resonates in the heart, which takes on
contemporary notions like the backing vocalsas-strings
on “In Another Minute” that recalls
last year’s celebrated Dirty Projectors album,
Bitte Orca. But there are also classic sounds here alongside the entirely
original, which is perhaps the best way to describe Water Over the Bridge:
A singular work of an original artist in a unique yet diverse musical
world. —Crispin Kott
www.annacheek.com