Bockman's Euphio

"Gorjus: Fighting Bockman's Euphio" CD

Totoba Records

Genres: rock, prog rock, jam band

Totoba Records
1762 El Centro
Columbia, MO
65201

Dec 13 - 19 2004

Bockman's Euphio play good music, even if their songs frequently go on a lot longer than they should.  Fortunately, there's enough content within the tracks to keep matters interesting - Gorjus exhibits a whole grab-bag of styles and influences, including jazz, pop, and even some prog rock.  The band has gained a respectable following, particularly because of a strong bootlegging circle ( the band encourages the taping of shows), as well as their dedication to posting live songs on their website.

Gorjus is a long album, but it has many strong songs to its credit.  The jazzy "Reverie" is probably the disc's main attraction - it boasts a memorable chorus and a loose, jam-band flow.  Opener "Patience" also has some solid hooks; at first, you can see it becoming an O.C.-style pop single, but its unconventional structure gives it an inventive touch.  "Come Back (to this)" and "Away King" also boast impressive melodies and engaging styles.  The majority of the "prog" sound present on Gorjus can be attributed to the band's frequent use of extensive solos - "Pusher," for example, features an impressively funky jam session, and "Gorjus" has an extensive guitar part.

While an album filled with long songs such as these may be a bit overwhelming at first, Gorjus quickly fills out its role as a solid piece of jam band rock.  Even if you aren't into the genre, give Bockman's Euphio a shot - songs like these don't take long to warm up to.

85%

Fun Fact: "Bockman's Euphio" is actually a reference to "The Euphio Question," a short story by Kurt Vonnegut.  "Euphio" has something to do with an artificial method of synthesizing happiness.

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by the band, released 2004]