|
Nice Nice
"Chrome" CD
Temporary
Residence Ltd.
Genres: experimental rock, instrumental funk
Temporary Residence
PO Box 11390
Portland OR 97211
May 17 - 23 2004 |
Nice Nice's Chrome is the definitive experimental funk
album. I call it that because there's really no other way to
describe it. Most of these compositions are explosive instrumentals,
packed with powerful beats, funky basslines, and legions of bizarre
experimental noise effects. There are also some calmer,
atmospheric pieces - these are mood-makers, and actually work pretty
well in the album's context. The only concern with these tracks is how long they will stay interesting - the lack of obvious melody
will prevent many listeners from finding a space for Chrome in
their repertoire. More often than not, Chrome satisfies. "Cold
Sweat Part XVI" is the exemplary Nice Nice slab of
weirdo-funk - bizarre sonic vocal squiggles are dispersed in the confines of
a powerfully groovy bass-and-drum rhythmic core. It's like James
Brown, Medeski, Martin & Wood, and The Jon Spencer
Blues all thrown together and stirred. On
the other side of the spectrum, we have Nice Nice's more
relaxing tracks; the creepy "See-Thru Plastic" and
"Bees Make Honey" seem to take the bare components of funk,
slow them down to a crawl, and add dashes of experimental noise and
ambiance.
Overall, this is a tremendously exciting release in
terms of energy content, but it probably lacks the necessary amount of
pop-based sensibility to make it truly catch on. Worth a shot -
if you can handle it.
85%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 20 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
