| CD REVIEW Codasync |
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Band : Codasync Rejoice, sons and daughters of Belgium, because Antwerp’s instrumental freak-out act-per-excellence Codasync has just unleashed its sophomore (self-released) album. As mentioned in my review of the October 2008 released debut Mows Arred (review posted 10/03/2009) sóme of the songs on the new album were already recorded earlier. Actually, the band already jumped into the studio (Motormusic Studios, found to the left of the church at Koninkshooik) as early as November 2008, and had the basis for the songs “Substituent Hump”, “Centipede Jackomino” (already written in July 2008), and “Wokkin’ With Dynah’s Sours” (great homonym for the famed BBC documentary series, guys) recorded before the end of the year. Also, they had this wacky piece titled “Sideways Sunrays”, “accidentilucky” tape-recorded during a jam session in August 2007…on which they immediatelly started to work in their own Aka Joe HQ (situated on the other side of the same church at Koningshooik…now ain’t thàt a happy coincidence!?) to make it worthy for appearance on their new album. New tracks “Lucdanun” and “Random Pomp Galoré” were then developed and eventually recorded, edited, in a self-production by the band, with the final work done in October 2009. The band was clever enough to already have Koen Heirmans start mixing and mastering the 187 tracks (no joke) from August on, at Temse’s Record Office. The band wanting to add some horns to some of the tracks (“Substituent Hump”, “Centipede Jacomino” and the “finale” of album closing “Random Pomp Galöre”), it was also Heirmans whom arranged for horn player Niels Vanvaerenbergh, trumpetist Jan Timmermans, and saxophonist Jan Morez to get together at Moortsel’s concert hall AMWD, where Bram Van Houtte recorded the brass section parts on the album, most certainly with (some of) the band’s members breathing down his neck. The end result is a 6-track album which is still 40 ½ minutes long, neatly put in a simple digipak package with freaky artwork from Dimitri “Jango Jim” Sakelaropolus, artwork which reflects the intricacy of the musical arrangements within quite perfectly, because even if there’s some complexities, it is also quite definitely a whole, dependent on its components. With their debut, the band got positive responses from both music fans (including myself), press, (including myself), and people in the music industry (like Pete Lockett of Björk & Peter Gabriel fame and Porcupine’s Steve Wilson, to name but a few)…but in the latter case it was mere compliments, because from labels they contacted they also got such reactions as “…ehrr, great instrumental music, but there’ss no vocals…so we can’t get it onto radio stations!”. Silly, isn’t it? I mean, why on earth wouldn’t radio stations play an instrumental song occasionally? There’s certainly enough different moods to choose from on the album, I would say. Which reminds me I still have to take the songs apart one by one…or at least try to, in an effort to let you know what you’re to expect. So, there’s the album opsning “Substituent Hump” which starts misleadingly with a bit of acoustic guitar but blasts away after only 5 seconds in a mode which combines slight repetition (variations on a main theme) with a couple of different interludes, and also has the incertion of those horns at the beginning of the song. It’s almost incredible they manage to do all this in only 4:14...now ain’t that a perfect “radio single” length, dear gentle persons of radio programming? The ensuing “Centipede Jacomino” is somewhat calmer, and better suited for the horn section too…which culminates in a higher bombastic feel overall. I read a review somewhere in which this track is compared to an instrumental James Bond movie, where the track guides one from the cool opening riffs to a darker, lower mid section (introduction of the bad guy, and also the passage where Bond gets smashed about a bit), and to the explosive climax which leaves the listener somewhat dazed with a smile on his/her face. Well, explosive climax? There IS such a bit towards the end of the track, but its actual conclusion is with serenely calm and seemingly acoustic guitar! Oh, I see, it’s the rapid succession of moods which left that reviewer somewhat dazed, is it? According to the bio sheet which accompanies the album, the band would soon have a video single out for this track! Hum, and that with a length just over 6 minutes, eh? The ensuing “Lucdanun” opens quite calmly and as such ties in with the mood of its predecessor. Hey…is that some piano I hear played there just before the band decides to make this another heavier but catchy track? There IS some calm Jazzy interlude further on in the song, before an explosive passage that returns to the song’s catchy main theme. As mentioned before, “Sideways Sunrays” is the recording of a jam session, and in my mind (that’s one of the nice things about instrumentals, it’s that everyone can make up his own ideas with the track’s moods) the guys made a soundtrack to a melancholic short movie (hey, this piece IS 12 minutes long, you know!) in which some guy, left by his longtime girlfriend, goes through the stages of denial, revolt, recognition, and reluctant acceptance of the fact that she ain’t coming back. Now why was I thinking of thàt scenario? Ain’t something from my personal life, for sure! Let’s just say I have a vivid imagination, shall we? As it stands, the track is definitely a calmer passage on the album, one which will have the listener sit back in his seat to let it all sink I, and with a melancholic conclusion played on a sole piano. The ensuing “Wokkin’ With Dynah’s Sours”, which has a great Progressive build-up and slow-down outro, will then have the listener move slowly towards the tip of his seat. With a length of only 4:43, here’s another radio single for ya! Album closer “Random Pomp Galöre” is the one song on this album in which the band crushed together the most diverse musical influences, from Dub’n’Bass to Metalcore (the band itself mentions “Grinding”, but that’s really an exagerration), from pompous Jazz (where the horn section comes in towards the end) to Electronic Blastbeat Dance, and from Progressive Rock to Groove Metal. Definitely the “heaviest” song on the album, and whàt a wopper! If these descriptions leave you somewhat baffled (I understand, you know), there’s always the 3 songs posted at myspace.com/codasync (the 2 album openers and the closing track – whoo-hah!) for you to sample and enjoy. But really, what you shoùld do, is get yourself the album as soon as possible! I have no idea how many copies were made, nor how many have already been sold on the couple of album presentation the band has given, but I’m sure the guys will be through their copies pretty soon. Order yoour copy from (www.) codasync.com. Then, when you’ve got your copy, perhaps you too can spend a couple of days in resplendiscent harmony with everything around you. I’ll tell you quite frankly…when I got the album for review, the world stopped turning! Everything was put on hold for a couple of days until I had listened to the album…how many times it was, I cannot remember…sufficiently for all the details to sink through to me. In spite of that overdose of Codasync music, I still haven’t had enough! Oh cruel world, why must there be so many other albums waiting for my attention…I don’t wanna let go just yet! (Heheh…an’ I won’t, because I’m keeping this on my mp3-player…you won’t find me fast-forwarding when I come to happenstance across it again!) 98/100 Tony. |