FLYING MACHINES - Flying Machines
Pictor Records PIC 001
Alex Munk - guitars; Matt Robinson - keys; Conor Chaplin - bass; Dave Hamblett - drums
Both the band and their eponymous debut release are named in honour of Munk’s father, who dedicated himself to the development of little-known but spectacular craft called Hybrid Air Vehicles - essentially updated Zeppelins - and the music has an appropriate atmosphere of airy retro-futurism. The sound palette is recogniseably derived from post-Metheny fusion - acoustic piano blends with electric bass and subtle synthesiser washes, guitars alternate between clean chiming arpeggios and heavily sustained and overdriven blasts of soloing, drums and electric bass are precise and powerful.
There are hints of post-rock, as practised by Tortoise or Explosions In The Sky, and although all the players have excellent jazz credentials, and there is an important improvisational aspect, the character is defined by the anthemic, emotive quality of Munk’s writing. “Emotional Math Metal” has crashing power chords and electronic arpeggios that might sit well in a Muse intro, and the rest of the track fully lives up to it’s titular billing. “First Breath” and “Peace Offering” show a more meditative side on acoustic instruments, offering interludes amongst the grand sweeping soundscapes; ‘Lighter Than Air” recalls the funk-fusion of Scott Henderson’s Tribal Tech, with Chaplin and Hamblett laying down some slick grooves, and “A Long Walk Home” is an unexpectedly subdued, pastoral closer. This music fits well with the resurgent interest in big-statement fusion, as practiced by Troyka, Tigran Hamsayan or Hiromi, though more melodic and restrained than any of them, making it an easier, more accessible listen - though fans of the cutting-edge may find it relatively conservative compared to the burgeoning scene in electronic jazz/rock/whatever mash-up.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Pictor Records PIC 001
Alex Munk - guitars; Matt Robinson - keys; Conor Chaplin - bass; Dave Hamblett - drums
Both the band and their eponymous debut release are named in honour of Munk’s father, who dedicated himself to the development of little-known but spectacular craft called Hybrid Air Vehicles - essentially updated Zeppelins - and the music has an appropriate atmosphere of airy retro-futurism. The sound palette is recogniseably derived from post-Metheny fusion - acoustic piano blends with electric bass and subtle synthesiser washes, guitars alternate between clean chiming arpeggios and heavily sustained and overdriven blasts of soloing, drums and electric bass are precise and powerful.
There are hints of post-rock, as practised by Tortoise or Explosions In The Sky, and although all the players have excellent jazz credentials, and there is an important improvisational aspect, the character is defined by the anthemic, emotive quality of Munk’s writing. “Emotional Math Metal” has crashing power chords and electronic arpeggios that might sit well in a Muse intro, and the rest of the track fully lives up to it’s titular billing. “First Breath” and “Peace Offering” show a more meditative side on acoustic instruments, offering interludes amongst the grand sweeping soundscapes; ‘Lighter Than Air” recalls the funk-fusion of Scott Henderson’s Tribal Tech, with Chaplin and Hamblett laying down some slick grooves, and “A Long Walk Home” is an unexpectedly subdued, pastoral closer. This music fits well with the resurgent interest in big-statement fusion, as practiced by Troyka, Tigran Hamsayan or Hiromi, though more melodic and restrained than any of them, making it an easier, more accessible listen - though fans of the cutting-edge may find it relatively conservative compared to the burgeoning scene in electronic jazz/rock/whatever mash-up.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
