new for february from chouette

++++BIRD SHOW BAND - BIRD SHOW BAND- AMISH

This time out, Ben Vida made Bird Show a band project. Although he’s based in Brooklyn, Vida travelled to Chicago to record, enlisting the aid of post-rock cohorts: Tortoise’s percussionists Dan Bitney and Josh Herndon, keyboardist Jim Baker, and bassist Josh Abrams. Both Baker and Vida employ vintage synthesizers – an ARP 2600 and a Moog Voyager – as the lead instruments on the records. The complex of sound created by the synths encompasses a collage of avant-noise and bleep. The rhythm section, on the hand, crafts a background that hews closely to avant-jazz. As usual, Bitney and Herndon are a owerful pair, crafting interlocking grooves that are one part African-influenced polyrhythms and another On the Corner Era swinging fusion.

full review here: http://www.sequenza21.com/cdreviews/2010/01/bird-show-band/

++++CITAY - DREAM GET TOGETHER -DEAD OCEANS

Dream Get Together shows once again that Citay may like to jam, but they’re damned good at it. As big and toppling as their music can be—and its size can be overwhelming—these guys are dynamic players, and all the experiments and expansion never slips into self-indulgent wanking. In fact, these guys have grown daring over three records, using every inch of studio space on Dreams Get Together to make a massive sound that doesn’t lose any of the charm or pastoral shimmer of the band’s earlier work...Citay can see where it is they want to go, they just prefer to take the scenic route there and, believe me, you’ll have no problem following them.

full review here: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/119581-citay-dreams-get-together/

++++GLASS ROCK - TALL FIRS MEET SOFT LOCATION- ECSTATIC PEACE

Glass Rock’s debut is a collaboration between the gentle glow of Tall Firs, and the lilting European (influenced) pop of Soft Location. Born out of a mysterious hummus-hut meeting, Tall Firs Meet Soft Location combines the delirium of Portishead with the more soulful, human side to Massive Attack. From the smoke on glass opening of the title track, Kathy Leisen’s vocal is a killer; chiselled and strung out amidst the post-soul instrumentation of wiry guitars and effortlessly cool bass, her tones are sheer temptation, a spiritual step-daughter of the late Mia Zapata. A deep cut groove is underpinned by a sense of darkness as the longing beneath Leisen’s words reveals the ill-judged pride of a wounded woman. The fact this record was recorded and mixed in two three-day sessions makes it an even greater triumph. Leisen’s lyrics are perfectly measured against the skeletal guitars of Mies and Mullan and the rich rhythm section that anchors it all... Glass Rock might seem like the perfect proposition on paper, and in practice they’re every bit as good as they should be.

full review here: http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14882/reviews/4138431