Review: Abe's Logic - War's Ragin'

Abe’s Logic – War’s Ragin’
2009, Mad Chief Records

Abe's Logic is the musical extension of Abe Vandenberg’s multiple musical personalities. The Maui, Hawaii resident is a musical chameleon who can channel Lou Reed one moment, Dave Matthews the next, and traverse several other personae in the course of a few songs. Rock, Jazz Fusion, Folk; none of these are without of his reach at a given moment, in a given song, or even on a dime. What is certain is that as a listener, if you’re not paying attention, Abe’s Logic will leave you far behind. Vandenberg is getting ready to release his latest album as Abe’s Logic, called War’s Ragin’. Whether this is social or self-commentary is up to the listener to decide.

War’s Ragin’ opens with the Ski anthem Chipping’ Away. This is the sort of song that makes you want to get up and dance and is a great start to the album. There’s a rough edge to the music on War’s Ragin’ that is appealing. It’s not garage, exactly, but it has some of that same Lo-Fi charm. Even on songs such as I Stepped Into The Shade, where Abe’s Logic layers a lot of instrumentation to build a full sound there is still an aspect to it that is rough and primitive. The Prestige is very catchy; a bit frenetic. Vandeberg occasionally reminds me of the same urgent energy that drove some of the early They Might Be Giants recordings on War’s Ragin’. That nervous momentum is very apparent on The Prestige.

War’s Ragin’ is a delicious heartland-style rocker with big, jangly guitars and a chorus you can’t help but hum along to. The theme is the ease with which we can wrap ourselves in our loves and forget about what’s going on in the world at large. War’s Ragin’ is a song with strong commercial potential. It’s Not Just Me is written in much the same fashion and is quite catchy but doesn’t have quite the same oomph as War’s Ragin’. What We Crave develops a bit further into an interesting modal vocal harmony structure with that same heartland feel, taking a band like The Bears and adding Devo-esque harmonies into the mix. The sound stays fairly consistent through That Was Safe, with Abe’s Logic saving the curveball for All Of A Sudden, which sounds a bit like REM crashed the Abe’s Logic party. Abe’s Logic corrects course and gets back to the feel-good rock with moderate to serious themes on I Want It To Stay, which sounds like it would be a fantastic tune live.

Abe’s Logic offers up some classic American Rock N Roll with a hint of garage chic on War’s Ragin’. It's is one of those albums you walk away from more impressed by the sound than anything else, but Vandenberg is quite capable with a guitar in his hands, and has a strong, clear singing voice that is a pleasure to listen to. Lyrically interesting and intelligent, the somewhat darker elements of the narrative can get crowded out by the big, loud, jangly sound, but it’s a fun listen.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Abe’s Logic at http://www.abeslogic.com/ or www.myspace.com/abeslogic. War’s Ragin’ is due for a late spring/early summer release. Keep checking Abe’s Logic’s website for details.

Review: Fractal - Sequitur

Fractal - Sequitur
2009, Fractal

Fractal is an original Progressive Rock quartet based out of San Jose and the San Francisco Bay area of California, beginning as a trio in 2000 and expanding to their current lineup in 2004. Their second album, Sequitur, moves mostly away from the improvisational approach of its predecessor, Continuum, while containing some of the most stylish and artful Progressive Rock of the decade. Fans of King Crimson, Yes, Rush, Radiohead, Pink Floyd and even Dream Theater take note; Fractal may just be the second coming of Prog.

Sequitur opens with Ellipsis, a busy instrumental that reminds me of some of Rush's later instrumental work (perhaps a wayward cousin of the Where's My Thing trilogy). Aftermath is the band's response to the events of September 11, 2001 and the loss of personal and cultural innocence. At over nine minutes, Aftermath covers a lot of musical ground, churning through musical mourning, anger and fluctuations of fear before a soaring guitar solo lifts your hopes heavenward. Mantra: Eternal Spring Of Life was perhaps not intentionally written as an epilogue to Aftermath, but does seem to capture the resilience of human spirit springing back to health even after the tragedy and burgeoning recovery of Aftermath. Soft, legato guitar solos capture the fragile first steps of confidence inside the tougher shell formed by guitar, bass and drums.

Coriolis is one of only two pure improvisations on Sequitur, taking on an ethereal, Pete Namlook/Fax type feel, particularly when the keyboards are in full force. Coriolis is somber and serious and other-worldly. Fractal slips into an almost Radiohead-like transcendentalism on A Fraction Of One, imbuing a quiet sense of urgency on an almost supernatural soundscape. Pataphysics, the other improv on Sequitur is an angry and impetulant rage on musical canvas that neither progresses nor devolves, but simply sits as a sonic mass to be passed through on the way to Mauve and The Great Pain. Influenced by a Jimi Hendrix blues feel and Fripp/Belew guitar stylings, Fractal takes us on a 13/8 time odyssey of sound that is closer to improv than pure composition. The Monkey's Paw is a jumbled mass of musical styles that persists in its chaotic state rather than evolving into something new. Imagine if Rush jammed with Gibby Haynes and you might have an idea of how this one will go, except that it's a lot more pure Prog than you might expect.

The epic Churn opens with a classical style overture that leads into the three movements or parts. Part I is eerily reminiscent of classic Yes, with Steve Howe-style guitar chops highlighting a highly rhythmic piece. Part II goes more for a Floydian disposition with an incredibly funky bass line adding musical commentary to randomly dubbed voiceovers; all played against a varying sonic landscape of dark intent. Part III brings a sonic resolution of acoustic guitar and keys that plays like an outro to one of the classic Styx albums of the 1970's. Closing things out is Bellerophon, a bit of musical sleight of hand that is like aural vertigo compared to the rest of the album. Bellerophon is an electronic composition that the band describes as a non-sequitur.

Sequitur is far and away the most exciting and original pure Prog album of the decade. There is a vibrancy and sense of creativity running through the work of Fractal that you have to go back to the early days of Prog to duplicate. It's easy to picture Fractal sharing a stage with groups like Yes, Rush or King Crimson in their heyday. If you have an ear for Progressive Rock then this album is definitely for you. if you're not familiar with Prog but love classical music, musical with unusual time structures or even some of the more experimental electronica then you would do well to give Sequitur a listen. Fractal got it right.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Fractal at http://www.fractal-continuum.com/ or www.myspace.com/fractalcontinuum. You can purchase a copy of Sequitur at www.cdbaby.com/cd/fractal3.

Review: The Eastern Gate - Seraphim

The Eastern Gate – Seraphim
2008, The Eastern Gate

Hillsdale, Michigan’s The Eastern Gate is a quintet of college friends who played together throughout their college experience; cutting and releasing an album in January, 2009, Seraphim, as their “final act” together. As fate would have it, the band shot into the Top-200 downloads on Amazon.com within hours and hit #1 on Amazon’s Movers and Shakers chart. Now the band is adding dates in and around their home base, and I would imagine reconsidering whether they really want to give up on The Eastern Gate just yet.

If you enjoy bands like The Tragically Hip, The Psychodots (Bears) or Our Lady Peace then you will find a lot to like here. The album opens with Whirlwind, in the style of Our Lady Peace. It’s a solid rocker with fair commercial presence. Still Sailing On is a key track, it’s a very active, driven tune, although the mix isn’t ideal. Come Along is more orchestral in composition/arrangement. It is a soft and sentimental track that displays some of the expanded range of the band. News is and upbeat blues rocker built around some tremendous violin fills and a great hook. Suspend Me and Rock N Roll Nun are my two favorite tracks on the album. Suspend Me sounds pretty much like The Tragically Hip with a violin player, whereas Rock N Roll Nun is very much in the mid-western style of The Psychodots (The Bears without Adrian Belew).

The Eastern Gate might just be kissed by fate. Their sound isn’t necessarily one that will be embraced by all listeners, but it might have enough appeal to take them a long, long way. Their eclectic, big rock sound with Celtic and Blues elements is unique and interesting and fresh in the music marketplace. Seraphim is very much worth checking out.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Eastern Gate at http://www.theeasterngate.net/ or www.myspace.com/theeasterngatemusic. Currently, Seraphim is most accessible in digital formats from outlets such as iTunes, Amazon.com, or Napster. Hard copies are currently available at shows and will soon be available through http://www.amiestreet.com/.