Mature Fantasy

Approfondimenti

Artanker Convoy's debut Mature Fantasy leaps right into the fray with a charged jazz-funk that doesn't insult the intelligence the way most vapid jam bands that mine similar territory tend to. It's difficult to delineate this distinction beyond a know-it-when-you-hear-it aesthetic, but their particular hybrid is riff-laden, dancefloor-friendly, and cerebral enough to perk the interest of Tortoise fans and serious avant-jazz aficionados alike. "Crown Vic," "Thruway," and "On the Wire" drop an immediately accessible polyrhythmic swing that could easily be mistaken for an early Beastie Boys or Money Mark instrumental jam. And while those tracks are somewhat sketchy and light in substance they are long on groove, while the more fleshed-out compositions such as "Alaska," "Natch," and especially "Portuguese," with its propulsive bass and fusion-era alto sax, will satisfy fans of headier music with their evocative cinematic explorations that tell tales without the excess of continuous soloing. These songs were composed for film soundtracks after all, and the Convoy really knows how to move the plot right along.
© Brian Way /TiVo