improvisational scene, make an audacious return in 2012 with 'Maze',
the product of two years of introspection in a Leeds basement come DIY
recording studio.
Their 2009 debut album 'Fill It Up With Ghosts' redefined
preconceptions of contemporary British jazz, winning MOJO Jazz Album
of the Year and Jazzwise Album Of The Year, and yet, despite the ever
present 'J' word their shows are populated by voracious crowds of
old-proggers and muso-teens who aspire only to possess the heel-toe of
drummer Chris Bussey, the sweep-pick of guitarist Chris Sharkey or the
growl of saxophonist Christophe de Bézenac, not least their original
creative vision and cohesion.
'Maze' is 100% trioVD and everything you would expect from them: it's
fun; it's complex; it's diverse and it's powerful. Taking a different
approach to 'Maze' than that with 'Fill It Up With Ghosts', the band
wanted to record in such a way that the recording and production
became part of the composing process. Begging, borrowing and stealing
equipment from friends they recorded the album in their rehearsal room
in Leeds, learning how to use the equipment as they went along.
Mindful of how powerful their live shows were and how hard this was to
translate to an album, they set about broadening their sound, to
include extra orchestration, vocals, synths and percussion. The result
is indeed, pure trioVD.
Of the ten tracks that make up 'Maze', opener Brick is the perfect
entrée to the band's more complex and daring sound. A chaotic blast
beat descending into a melting pot of chugging heavy metal guitars,
dauntless alto sax and syncopated drums. There are however, moments of
relative calm on the album, which juxtaposed with the raw energy we
have come to expect from the band make for the additional textures
they wished to achieve. For example, pure one-take improv Ducks
recalls the dexterity and tone of Coleman or Coltrane shrouded by a
typically sinister sonic backdrop – you can see the movie playing in
your mind. And Ups, with its deep rhythmic structure, is the perfect
foil to the addictive Morse, a combination of Morse code, French
gibberish, heavy guitars, two-handed tapping and a feverish dream
sequence.
2012 looks bright for trioVD, with a UK tour penned for the Autumn and
a wealth of international performances from rock festivals to jazz
clubs, as always appealing to anyone and everyone who is prepared to
have their mind blown by the most original of original music out there
in the world today.
http://www.cannonballpr.com/triovd/
--
Progressive Rock & Progressive Metal - E-Zine
http://www.progressiverockbr.com
http://progrockmetal.blogspot.com/
