Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Thank You Scientist

Welcome to the Concert Closet once again fellow progheads!  Leaving the Emerald Isle was bittersweet; Iron Mountain was an absolutely marvelous experience for me.  Of course time marches forward and the search for all things prog continues its weekly exploration.  Determined to bring you my loyal followers the brightest, most ground-breaking, and inspiring bands that dot the prog garden landscape, I travel a bit closer to home this week as my GPS guides my path to New Jersey and the exceptionally innovative sounds of Thank You Scientist.

  
Billing their sound as "Post Genre Sweet Potato Polka" immediately lets me know Thank You Scientist is not a band hung up on themselves.  It is actually quite refreshing to walk the prog garden and discover a band this free and unrestrained.  Time to clamp on the headphones and find out what the hubbub that is sweet potato polka is all about... 

Opening the buffet, I come away with a tantalizing cut called "My Famed Disappearing Act."  The frenzy that is the opening guitar riff is but a friendly warning of the furious tempo this band performs at. The spaces in between are quickly filled with violin, horns and keyboards...madness and mayhem prog style.  Meanwhile the vocals cut through like an ice pick pecking at a frozen pond.  The canvas is splattered with colors bright and livid...the top notes emitted here are redolent of  a "placid" Liquid Tension Experiment, the zany genius of Frank Zappa, and the off-the-cuff frankness of Harry Nilsson.

Stepping back for a quick intake of oxygen, I foray back to the buffet for a large serving of "The Amateur Arsonist's Handbook."  Once again the song opens as if the stylus was dropped into the middle of the vinyl; the race is on to catch that tempo.  Guitar work here is strong and fast while percussion manages to keep everyone on solid ground.  The vocals burst over the top like blasts of a tommy gun.  As the tempo takes a breath, some fine horn work makes it way to center stage.  Thank You Scientist are as free-wheeling as Bent Knee, fine tuned as Seconds Before Landing, and carefree as Gaillion.

Liner Notes...Thank You Scientist came to be in Montclair, New Jersey.  Founding members Tom Monda on guitar, Ellis Jasenovic on saxophone, and Andrew Digrius on trumpet joined forces with Salvatore Marrano on vocals, Cody McCorry on bass, Ben Karas on violin, and Odin Alvarez on drums to not only fill a stage--they created a sound that defies categorization.

Coming to life in 2009, Thank You Scientist released their first EP in 2011.  This was followed by their full length debut album "Maps of Non-Existent Places" in 2012, and the just recently released second album "Stranger Heads Prevail."  To say their style is a cornucopia of a melange of a fusion of a blend is not much of a stretch--over twenty instruments can be heard on their debut album alone. Thank You Scientist bring jazz fusion, metal, avant-garde, and classical together to create a sound that is not only unique, it is difficult to define or duplicate...the easy part is the listening and enjoying...

My final selection for review is a cut from Thank You Scientist's debut called "Blood on the Radio." This song is another straight from the Waring Blender; I believe I hear a dozen different instruments come through the headphones in the first fifteen seconds the laser is on the disc.  Even more astonishing is the fact that everything melds together flawlessly.  When the vocals begin to seep through from behind, they are simply the chocolate glace on the eclair.  The guitar work moves to center stage and proceeds to hold court, but rest assured all the players have their share of the spotlight; the only thing Thank You Scientist doesn't thrust at you is bursts of individual ego...

Thank You Scientist bound across the prog garden effortlessly, gathering ideas like flowers for a wedding bouquet while leaving behind music that takes root in all the different acreage and
sub-genres that are progressive rock.  They may have created a few new ones along the path as well...

The tune posted below is from their latest release called "Blue Automatic."  Thank You Scientist continue to challenge the person charged with mixing their albums as sounds burst through every nook and cranny that is the compact disc.  Horns blare but never drown out the vocals; drums hold a steady and forceful beat don't step on anyone else; guitars once again stand up and shout yet they never let you forget the rest of the supporting cast...hell, even the strings have their moment!  I recommend playing this cut over and over until you can fully appreciate what you are hearing...

Learn more about Thank You Scientist at their website Thank You Scientist and the  website of their record label Evil Ink Records. They also have a bandcamp site TYS bandcamp.  Any and all of their music is worthy of being added to your prog music collection so please support the band and make a purchase.  You can keep up with tour dates, musings, and other band information on their Facebook page TYS Facebook and Twitter @TYScientist.



Another post in the clouds fellow progheads; although I hope Thank You Scientist stays echoing in your head a bit longer...this is a band destined to leave a mark.  Thank You Scientist is currently touring the US so you have the opportunity to catch this act live and see firsthand how seven musicians can produce one astonishing sound from twenty different instruments...hope they take care of their roadies...

As is the custom each week at this juncture, time to reload the Concert Closet and continue the search for all things prog.  The 2016 leg of this journey has been quite the ride thus far...here's to that streak continuing ad infinitum...until next week...       

No comments:

Post a Comment