Astronomique - Sharp Divide (2018)

OFFICIAL: http://www.astronomiquemusic.com

FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/astronomiqueband/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Astronomiques

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/astronomiques/

BANDCAMP: https://astronomique.bandcamp.com

Written by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin

Led by lead singer and synthesizer player Logan Andra Fongemie and guitarist Sean Hogan, Minneapolis’ Astronomique are sure to impress many with the release of their ten song collection Sharp Divide. There’s an overarching coherence defining the release shared by few albums in any vein and the four piece lineup plays with enormous chemistry reflected in the relatively sterile nature of a studio recording. There are certain consistent points sustaining the release, but Astronomique is quite at home with surprising their listeners as well while never going so far overboard as to make such efforts unrecognizable. Sharp Divide is cut to just the right length as well and the band’s confidence never seems to slip during the entirety of the release. Rather than coming off as talented young musicians, Astronomique comes off as a talented assemblage of veteran musicians near or reaching the peak of their artistic powers.

We are treated to a shot of that confidence, up close, with the album’s first song. “Forefathers” has an internal drive that’s impossible to ignore, focused largely on the work of bassist Preston Saari and drummer Mitch Billings, but the contributions from both Fongemie and Hogan offer much as well to this stellar track. “We Disappear” is another powerful potential single and Saari’s sternum shaking pulse is the heart of the song. Fongemie’s synthesizer flourishes are also particularly effective for adding color to this piece. Song construction is one of Sharp Divide’s strongest merits and few of the songs on this collection are more solid than “We Disappear”.

The songs “Losing Our Control” and “Sharp Divide”, however, raise the standards by which we evaluate this album. Astronomique burrow their best songs in the album’s midway point and both, specifically the title song, sound fully fleshed our and ready for the stage. The small hop Billings gives the song with his percussion is a stylistic note he strikes again on Sharp Divide, but never with the same sort of positive effect Billings achieves bringing it into “Losing Our Control”. “Smoke” is more cluttered, in some respects, than the earlier and later songs, but attentive listeners will appreciate the band’s willingness to mix things up for their listeners rather than remaining content to churn out variations on a theme for the entirety of Sharp Divide’s ten songs.

“Bleed Me” is another of the album’s more ominous numbers, evidenced by its title, but catches your ear in large part thanks to the unique contrast between its lyrics and engaging, likable musical content. Fongemie’s vocal is especially emotive here. The drum patterns for “Heading Nowhere” establish a patient, slightly busy groove for this mid-tempo album finale and the throb of Preston Saari’s voice gives the song a resonant center than never goes away. It seems like Fongemie’s vocals are laden with more echo than ever before, but it shouldn’t dampen your enthusiasm for the track or this stunning studio release.

The Joe Olnick Band - Downtown (2017)

OFFICIAL: https://www.joeolnick.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JoeOlnickMusic

Written by Jason Snyder, posted by blog admin

Going full bore with meaty full-motion bass grooves, scorching blues/funk guitar licks and jam band leads and smacking rhythms Downtown is one of those albums that starts out in high and stays there for the duration.  That’s not to say this album is short of dynamics or same-y sounding from track to track but even when this album is smoothing things out with a more relaxed, laidback compositional aesthetic it’s still not easy to pin down.  Downtown’s downtime will challenge you just as much as its full-bodied rockers. 

Joe Olnick is the band leader and with Downtown being the 6^th recording in his band’s discography it’s no doubt that he’s a prolific veteran when it comes to his trade.  Backed by a taut, high energy rhythm section in the two Jamies (Jamie Aston on bass and Jamie Smucker on drums), each song on this 7-cut romp is a well-played exercise in tactical funk rock brutality.  “Philadelphia Moonlight (Part One)” interweaves acoustic and electric guitars for an energizing and entertaining mixture of multiple genres.  The searing guitar figures splice acoustic textures, fleet-fingered leads and doubled-up funk melodies into a well-molded whole that’s held in place by a moving and shaking rhythm section that’s all about embracing the groove.  Smucker maintains a tight pocket but is truly a stellar jazz player when it comes to his style; he makes those blink n’ you’ll miss ‘em hot roddin’ fills of his seem effortless and backed by Aston’s hunky, chunky grooves…well, the whole thing manages to feel like you’re being transported back in time to a 60s jazz club to watch some attack-leaned funk band play.  Olnick and the boys have got their own thing going, that’s for sure.  The aforementioned cut flows like a crystal clear river into “Food Truck” which takes another mid-tempo funk groove and throttles it up against the wall with a rhythmic fistful of fury.  Again, the instrumentation is somehow tough and tense sounding while still being all about the wrangling of a good melody for all it’s worth. 

The unusual “Parkside” is a medley of experimental jazz, atonal noise rock and funky grooves getting all shook up in the same bottle.  It’s got a quirky, weirdo opening seasoned by a spicy wah-riff, heavy rhythmic syncopation that’s both in-time and out of time and a very hypnotic arrangement so locked into its way that you think it’ll never change.  Yet it does change, eventually the slow stacking of the intro giving way to a blazing lead lick and some full-on rhythmic funk.  Artsy minimalism is applied in “Philadelphia Moonlight (Part Two)” and it’s unorthodox approach wouldn’t have been out of place on the Release division of metal label Relapse Records (Release was all noise, drone, ambient and free-form jazz style releases).  “Rush Hour” returns the record to pluckin’ bass grooves, snazzy perpetual motion beats and extended guitar jams; funk rock to the max, pure and simple.  And the head scratchers thusly keep on comin’ as closer “Sports Complex” comes close to the aggression of metal while coating the guitars and rhythms in 60’s psychedelic rock. 

If you live for the strange, love instrumental music and tend to go for releases whose rewards come with challenging repeat listens, then you’re going to go ape for Downtown.  Olnick, Smucker and Aston take a no rules approach to their music and it pays off dividends.  It’s rocking, rolling and even confusing; this is an album for headphones if there ever was one.