New genre, or ridiculous pigeon-holing? Ever since the bizarre categorisation of Post-Rock took hold, it seems that nothing is safe from the prefix. I really like this track by Polar Bear but I can’t embed it on our blog, hence the other video above (both from the same LP “Peepers”). I’d like to know what the hardcore ‘Spiller Jazz fiends make of it all?
I LOVE Polar Bear. Seen them live a few times; Seb Roachford has the most distinctive afro in music today and Leafcutter John plays a mean balloon (you can find one of his solo efforts on one of my RR social compilations).
Call it anything, to paraphrase Miles. To be brutal, it doesn’t set itself apart from existing music enough- Cinematic Orchestra has some very similar recordings, among many- to warrant a separate genre description. Nice to listen to, without convincing particularly through either technique or feeling. Did I mention I was slightly pissed. There’s something slightly sterile about Peepers, it seems pre-conceived and straitjacketed. And it doesn’t swing. Did I mention, etc.
@nilp – it don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that……..
Blimpy in the pub for hours the other night.. nilpferd sounding bottle and a half happy tonight… if only I could listen to some bloody music, it’d be just like the drunken old place!
(I look forward to the leaning bales of Norfolk – if the head doesn’t hurt too much)
Zigactly, Blimpy. Though they needn’t be too disheartened by the addled ravings of a forty something ex pat Antipodean… @shane.. if you stack the bales so that they look more or less vertical (use your thumb) then they ought to be ok.. did I mention that I don’t happen to be an accredited bale designer in accordance with DIN 3940..
DIN 3940 – aren’t they a Portland post-rock-tronica band? I have one of their early EPs.
I don’t see what makes it ‘post-’ Jazz. I rather like it but it’s not much different from what I’d consider Jazz, anyway. (But I’m not very good on the whole classification idea.)
It sounds like the soundtrack to a Truffaut film.
Just running the “Peepers” video and having a listen. My first thought is that it isn’t Jazz but basically a Rock/Reggae song played on the classic Jazz instruments. Take away the upright bass, sub in Lead Guitar for Lead Sax… and it wouldn’t really be Jazz at all. And I don’t mean it’s Jazz Rock/Fusion either. I think it’s the reggae offbeat/backbeat thing that stops it being jazz. Definitely doesn’t swing.
Not that taken with it, to be honest… sorry.
good dissection 2jkrs -
I prefer the other one (the one embedded above), now I’ve listened to that too. I think I found “Peepers” frustrating – it seemed about to break out into full-blown reggae but never quite did. The one “up top” was pleasingly chilled.
Must admit that I’ve been very underwhelmed by this album; Held on the Tips of Fingers was much better, I thought – but certainly I can’t see any particular reason to stick the ‘post-’ prefix on.
My earlier comments relate to the embedded track.
The linked one is less pleasing. For the first 3 minutes its a rather plodding rock warm-up thing with a guest saxophonist, then a change into something closer to Jazz (but not quite there). A bit of an uncomfortable mish-mash, that one.
Both tracks do that tune-switching thing after 2-3 minutes, which I can’t help feel is but a way of retaining an audience’s attention. Is it common to their stuff?