Icky's Ego - Icky's Ego [EP]

Icky's Ego - Icky's Ego [EP]
2009, Icky's Ego

Somewhere in the playground that stands between the musical estates of The White Stripes, The Pretenders and Massive Attack you'll find the muse of Icky's Ego. The Los Angeles duo of Dave Crocco and Cela Scott create hard-driven rock n roll with ambient edge and a task-master's eye for detail. Their debut EP, Icky's Ego, features four songs that illuminate the band's vision of musical domination; a vision they recently took on the road to Europe for the first time.

Icky's Ego opens with "Citadel", a personal statement of power and strength in the "I am an island" tradition. Madness runs through this single in both visceral and real realms as Crocco's tortured vocals and Scott's whispered voices imply. "Girlfriend" finds Cela Scott at the mic for a wild ride through unrequited love from the other side. Scott lays it on the line for an impending lothario in no uncertain terms after a one night stand, drawing the line at time served. "Histrionics" is an aural picture of a hot mess in the first person; painted in a highly catchy arrangement that's danceable. There's a stream-of-consciousness element to this song that's not as random as it first appears. Cela Scott's vocal suggests the instability the song implies in a sharp vocal performance not to be missed. If you don't get this song on first listen give it a few more spins; it will grow on you. Icky's Ego closes with "Rome", which is something of a mess, sounding a bit more like Icky's ID than Ego. The song has a catchy core, and perhaps just follows the spiraling madness of the EP further down the chain, but it's the least accessible track on the album.

Icky's Ego is unique in purveying ingestible madness in distinctly affable alternapunk/pop forms. No label in the lexicon exactly describes Icky's Ego to a T. You'll simply have to listen for yourself. What can be said is that Icky's Ego makes a memorable impression. You'll want to follow Dave Crocco and especially Cela Scott on their march to madness.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Icky's Ego at http://www.ickysego.com/ or www.myspace.com/ickysego. Icky's Ego is available digital from Amazon.com and iTunes.

Review: La Forza - Dance Music For Your Mind (Vol. I)

La Forza – Dance Music For Your Mind (Vol. I)
2009, La Forza Music

Yelm, Washington (pop. 4000) is the breeding ground for a new sound in popular music. Austrian born classical pianist Divina Klein and Hip-Hop producer Douglas Mackar (Cleveland, Ohio) combine to create La Forza. A force in more than just name, La Forza takes classically influenced electronic music and raises the genre to high art. Their debut album, Dance Music For Your Mind (Vol. I) is a dance/party record. Mixing structured compositions with improvisation while on stage, La Forza is always fully present in their performances.

The blend of ambient electronica and dance beats on Dance Music For Your Mind (Vol. I) comes off as ultimately uninspired. Across twelve tracks La Forza fails to offer up anything that is highly original or intriguing, proving more a blend of sounds than anything truly dynamic. Some of the organic piano work here is enjoyable, but fails to be remarkable. Fans of trippy piano-based electronica will dig it, I'm sure, but without distinct structure, melody or sense of movement it becomes too easy to relegate Dance Music For Your Mind (Vol. I) to the stack of not-enjoyable but unremarkable ambient releases. Because so much of the human element of music is missing from ambient music, artists who find a way to transcend the technology they use and stamp their humanity on their music stand out. One senses La Forza trying to make that breakthrough on Dance Music For Your Mind (Vol. I), but never quite getting there. The album is a pleasant listen but not something that will call you to return.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about La Forza at http://www.laforza.com/ or www.myspace.com/laforza. You can purchase a copy of Dance Music For Your Mind at www.cdbaby.com/cd/laforza.

Review: On Ensemble - Ume In The Middle

On Ensemble - Ume In The Middle
2009, On Ensemble

On Ensemble is a rarity in the realms of popular music; they are wholly original. Ostensibly a Taiko ensemble (ancient Japanese drumming), On Ensemble mixes that venerable art with Hip-Hop, Rock and electronica to create sounds very few people have heard before. Lauded by Modern Drummer magazine for their groundbreaking work, On Ensemble members individually have heady resumes, having music featured on the TV show Heroes, in the David Mamet movie Redbelt, and even performing with Stevie Wonder at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. On Ensemble's latest effort, Ume In The Middle will be available May 5, 2009. It's sure to be a big seller in the World and New Age genres, and is a great opportunity to check out both an ancient musical style not often heard in the west and new construct sprouting from it that's worth noting.

Ume In The Middle opens with the dark and ominous Yamasong, with its shadowy ambient sound based in crawling progressions and traditional chants. Hisashi is a rhythmic exploration lead by traditional Japanese flute. This song sounds like the sort of music that gets written for background to introductory scenes in feature films set in Japan. Waiting takes a big jump into the twenty-first century, mixing Taiko with electronica to create a rather funky mix. The vocals here are more in the Pop/R&B realm with some pretty neat harmonies going on. Hiroya vs. Miniboss gets into the techno realm, bordering on light industrial at times. Techies will get a kick out of of Butoh-bot Malfunction, a sonic exploration of the breakdown of modern machinery. This is probably one of the more imaginative compositions in the album while being resolutely one of the least musical. It isn't until the eighth track, Bounce Back that On Ensemble breaks somewhat free of the electronic universe in which they've ensconced themselves. Bounce Back is still strongly electronic but at stays with the traditional style of their musical roots. The album closes out with a Campagna remix of Yamasong.

On Ensemble is intriguing, although I felt they spent a little too much time in the electronic universe and not enough exploring the many shoots and branches that run from their roots. Nevertheless, Ume In The Middle is an intriguing and interesting listen. Electronic music fans are likely to go nuts over Ume In The Middle while traditional Taiko followers will likely view it with suspicion on their way to acceptance and enjoyment. The composition and presentation are inspired.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about On Ensemble at http://www.onensemble.org/ or www.myspace.com/onensemble. You can purchase a copy of Ume In The Middle at www.cdbaby.com/cd/onensemble5. You'll be able to find the CD in stores as of May 5, 2009.