GUTBUCKET - A MODEST PROPOSAL - 2009

Upon reading the following quote, "Its OK, we only eat Irish children…" taken from the band's MySpace page it was clear the music of Gutbucket would be anything but 'normal'. The band formed back in 1999 in NYC and have just released their fourth cd entitled A Modest Proposal for the unsuspecting masses. Consisting of Ty Citerman (guitars), Adam D. Gold (drums, vibraphone), Eric Rockwin (bass, Hammond, Wurlitzer, korg bx-3), and Ken Thomson (saxophone, clarinet, Hammond, Roland), be prepared for a wild ride into Gutbucket's take on avant-gard progressive jazz with a punk rock attitude that is not often heard in the genre. There is no doubting the musical chops of all the band members and the playing is energetic, sometimes taking on a torrent pace. At times there is a Crimsonian approach in the way angular rhythms take shape.

The album begins with "Head Goes Thud", an avant-garde slice of jazz rock featuring walls of sound and bursts of saxophone. The band is able to stop and start with ease, creating clean sax breaks amidst the musical chaos. The saxophone work throughout the album is top notch and provides many of the melodies, discordant or otherwise. Besides saxophone, the bass playing of Rockwin comes to the forefront in "I am a Jelly Doughnut" providing an excellent groove for the other musicians to follow. Sharp sax runs and intricate drum work fill in the rest. The frantic pace eventually slows down during the beginning of "Carnivore" and gives listeners a chance to catch their breath, if only for a short time, before more chaotic noise bursts from your speakers in what is probably their most 'difficult' moment yet. What starts out as slow and sultry, "Doppelganger's Requiem" features outstanding baritone sax, before the pace picks up once again.

So there you have it folks. If solid musicianship is your fancy and you like your music on the adventurous side of the progressive pendulum with a strong avant-garde/jazz flavour this one is likely for you.
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