Melodic Energy Commission: Wave Packet

"Fractal frequencies heard as mandelic masterpieces, the sound that issues when a snowflake freezes, a cacophonous current releases as a fortuitous racket, playing on the tympanum and recorded to track it, leaving the vibrations free to take their own crack at it, transmuting to a congenial euphany encountered as this Wave Packet."

Huh? Not sure I understand those words taken from the CD jacket of Melodic Energy Commission's latest release Wave Packet. However, the music is another story. The band was formed way back in the late '70s by band leader Don Xaliman and released their first album in 1979. Wave Packet is their fourth album and a good one it is. Here, Xaliman is joined by no less than eleven musicians playing assorted instruments like violin, trumpet, flugelhorn, synths, and various forms of percussion. Xaliman adds bass, synth, 12 string guitar, keys and gongs.

Wave Packet is jazz flavored space rock garnished with psychedelic and world music. Improvisation is a main component resulting in one of the trippiest albums I have heard in a long time.

"Ambiguity" opens the set with some cool bass drum interaction before spacey synths and horns come through in shimmering waves of sound. In "Crop Circle Crafters" wild effects and theremin set the mood as the song moves at a languid pace letting each note sink in. "Trees on Water" carries an exotic eastern sound with slowly building textures of percussion, flute and dulcimer, a featured instrument. Nice track. For a darker more ominous sound check out "Attached by Gravity" with its deep bass tone and disturbing horn work. All of the songs move at a slow pace so don't expect a million notes per second. This is an album that you should let sink in, preferably on headphones, letting the music touch the deepest recesses of your mind.

For jazzy space rock look no further than Wave Packet. It is one of those albums where you can really lose yourself to the music. Recommended.

Track Listing:
1. Ambiguity (5:44)
2. Crop Circle Crafters (3:36)
3. Trees on Water (8:53)
4. Attached by Gravity (3:11)
5. Field of Grooves (3:45)
6. Evening Layers (4:56)
7. Tidal Nomads (4:22)
8. Raindrop Reprise (4:49)
9. Collective Eyes (3:34)
10. Molecular Reorganizer (6:25)

Added: September 30th 2013
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1894
Language: english

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