Back in the 70s, Power Trios were the heart and soul of Progressive Rock. Cream, Jimi Hendrix’s Experience, Emerson, Lake and Palmer were just a few of the smaller bands that worked on a big sound. Here we’ve got a trio and a quintet, both sounding like they were weaned from 70s fm radio.
Chat Noir is an Italian trio consisting of Michele Cavallari/p-key-fx, Luca Fogagnolo/b-g-fx and Giuliano Ferari/dr-fx. What constitutes the ubiquitous “fx”? Good question! Lots of loops, fuzz tones, electronic buttons and whistles on tunes like “Avant Buddha” and “Ninth” that change moods as quickly as a adolescent female. A piece like the highly successful “Chelsea High Line” opens with bowed strings, with dark moods veering into a driving groove with electronic guitar whiz bangs, while a hard hitting “Radio Show” drives like a heavy metal bands. Textures abound, with piano and guitars on the New Ageish “Peaceful” rich in colors and the ruminating layers of keyboards on “Aspekt” as thick as Rutherford B Hayes’ beard. A white knuckler!
Do I dare say that “Plymouth Rocks”? Sorry, couldn’t resist that one with the band of Jamie Saft/key, Joe Morris/g, Mary Halvorson/g, Chris Lightcap/b and Gerald Cleaver/dr, with electricity used on all instruments up to, as they say, 11, on these three long musical journeys. The 20 minute “Manomet” has eerie keyboards and strings before an avalanche of drums and guitars make your speakers beg for mercy. Probing string pickings o “Plimouth” builds up to a cataclysm slamming into a thunderous B3 , drums and guitars bashing heads like “Dumb and Dummer” while “Standish” shakes so hard you’ll need to look out for falling rocks on a tune that sounds like ELP on a frenzied night at the Long Beach Arena. Hang on tight!
Rare Noise Records