Irepress - Samus Octology All Indians, No Chiefs By Jesse Lynch

Irepress’ new release, Samus Octology, reminds me of Hobo Stew. Let me explain. Hobo Stew is a dish where you basically take anything you have around the house or campfire, throw it in a pot, cook it for a bit and eat. It can have just about anything in it and, depending on the combination, can be quite tasty. This sounds like Irepress in an auditory sense. Lots of different pieces coming together for a satisfying whole.    Listening to this disc, you can definitely hear a wide range of influence. There is a decided similarity with Isis but often you hear other bits that remind you of free ranging jazz, some older Yes, ambient noise and I even caught a whiff of instrumental Jethro Tull (ok, that may just be me). Throw in a few actual metal riffs and you have a small idea of what these guys sound like. Lacking a singer, they are free to roam down whatever path they choose. So they do. It’s pointless to talk about the eight individual tracks since they all meld into one like chapters in a book. Sometimes they go the way you would expect, other times they catch you completely by surprise. The glide around your brain like wind through a thick forest; no set pattern, just moving wherever the music takes itself.    And then there’s what sounds like a trumpet solo. What? You didn’t expect a trumpet solo? Neither did I. That just makes it better.    Irepress may not be for everyone. There is no singer, so the songs don’t follow any kind of verse-chorus pattern, which may turn some people off. If so, then to bad. What you do have is top notch musicianship and some true creativity. Songs that are truly about the beast that is music. There is also some very interesting, busy artwork that came with the disc. This just added to the package.    If you want to buy this disc, and you should, you can get it from www.cdbaby.com/irepress. Support DIY artists.

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Published on: 2005-11-02 (1025 reads)