SOMEWHERE THERE’S MUSIC…Alex Smith: Determined Values, The Jeff Kaiser Ockodektet: 132350

The Pf Mentum label prides itself of experimental and far left of center intuitive recordings. It’s nice to have a label who knows what it is, just like the good old days. Here are a couple recent white knucklers.

Playing a wide range of instruments and using his voice around poetry of sorts, Alex Smith teams up with a slew of percussionists/vocalists, drummers, and guitarist, bassist and even a glass marimba player for eight songs that stretch vocal imaginations amidst various sound effects.

An amalgam of voices traipse in and out of “The Building of Asgard” while  tropical tones and kalimba meld around “Um Quarto E Mais” A drum intro leads to percussion, effects and voices on “Cotton Ginustrial” while someone is trudging through chains on ”Crossroads”. The team rocks out with effects on “816” and “One-Minute Speeches” and sounds like a grooving Deep Purple for “Tickuf”. Don’t bother bringing dancing shoes.

Jeff Kaiser plays pump organ and loans his voice as he conducts an intuitive and wide ranging group for six wild and wooley originals. There’s a mix of churchy organ and a poem bookending the album on “Father Death Blues” and “End Of The World”, between which you get a traffic jam of electronica and effects on “Section 7” and a mixing of screeching with percussion on “Section 5 to X”  . Splatting horns on “Section 1 to X” and moaning saxes on “Section 8 to X” make for agitated white water caps, with nary a chance to catch a breath. Anyone get the license number?

www.pfmentum.com

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