Moraine: Groundswell

Moraine is a Seattle based quintet specializing in avant-garde progressive music with a heavy dose of jazz and fusion. It is an interesting concoction but certainly not for the faint of heart. Groundswell is their third CD, released on Moonjune Records.

In the band are Alicia DeJoie (electric violin), James DeJoie (baritone sax, flute, effects), Kevin Millard (NS stick bass), Dennis Rea (guitar, electric interventions, Mellotron) and Tom Zyonc (drums).

While this music is clearly not easy 'to get' there are still some neat melodies to be found if one digs hard enough. In the album opening "Mustardseed" I found the sax led guitar rhythms strangely compelling and in "Fountain of Euthanasia" the softer sections actually contain pleasantly pretty violin, flute and sax, almost having a bit of Canterbury flair. However, the band is constantly switching tempos, always keeping the listener on edge. "Skein" offers some metallic flavours as the guitar has more of a metal edge with far Eastern tones but again some melodic sax work helps to soften the eclectic edge.

The songs venture back and forth between loose based structures and more free form styles and the musicianship is excellent throughout. Think Zappa, King Crimson and maybe a little Mahavishnu Orchestra for good measure. For listeners wanting to venture into the unconventional, Moraine just might be the ticket you are searching for.

Track Listing:
1. Mustardseed (3:11)
2. Skein (3:52)
3. Fountain of Euthanasia (3:25)
4. Gnashville (4:12)
5. In That Distant Place (6:20)
6. Synecdoche (3:52)
7. The Earth is an Atom (5:12)
8. Waylaid (7:20)
9. Spiritual Gatecrasher (7:18)
10. The Okanogan Lobe (7:41)

Added: October 6th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 2311
Language: english

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