Blink: The Architects (Whistler, 4/19/11)

Blink: "Protect From Light (I)"

If there’s one collective that typifies the spirit of modern jazz and the next step into its “post” era, it’s Chicago-based experimental-jazz quartet Blink.  And though that might sound bogus given the fact that its new album comes only in cassette and digital-download formats, the quartet’s lo-fi approach doesn’t mean that it's not legit.  Since its 2008 debut, The Epidemic of Ideas — a record that imparts heavy emphasis on jazz experimentation and improvisation — the quartet has toured the world, received awards from the Illinois Arts Council, and had its compositions commissioned and performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble and the Peoria Ballet Company.

On its sophomore effort, The Architects, the quartet builds on its mishmash of free jazz, rock, and electronics, this time with a new approach for structured compositions.  The beauty of it all? You can’t really tell the difference.  In jazz, it’s said that the best improvised music sounds composed and the best composed music sounds improvised.  As circular as that sounds, the adage holds a lot of wisdom in understanding the merits of Blink and its overall sound.

Listeners will find the nine-song set, entirely composed by bassist Jeff Greene, to have a distinct balance.  Greene’s compositions build on one another, creating a musical dialogue that revisits melodies and textures to create intricate forms of theme and variation.  But the songs still feel open-ended, with solid foundations for drummer Quin Kirchner, guitarist Dave Miller, and saxophonist Greg Ward to instill in them a loose musical chemistry that is spontaneous and artful.

Like any great jazz outfit, each player in the quartet knows the role of his instrument.  The range of noise – lashings of Albert Ayler-styled atonal saxophone rips, scratchy no-wave guitar riffs, staccato snare hits, and ambient electronic drones – encompasses sounds that push the boundaries of tone and texture.

Bookend tracks “Protect From Light” parts I and II set the record's tone.  Suspended over a bed of looped electronic samples, Ward lays down the song’s central melodic theme.  The sax line is bright and smooth, a stark contrast to Miller’s crunchy guitar and Kirchner’s sparse rhythmic attacks. The electronic samples become more urgent, the drums take a larger presence, and the saxophone becomes free.

For the most part, in exception to a few momentous freak-outs, the quartet has a mellow energy.  But because the instruments communicate so well with one another, the chilled-out energy packs a big punch.  “Social Engineering” is a track with a lot of free-roaming space driven by Miller’s haunting guitar plucking.  Just when a melody begins to materialize, a reverse delay effect is switched on, giving the track a strange, Twilight Zone feel.  But it frees Miller to play over himself, and when he begins to tighten up the space, the rest of the players follow suit.

Whether it’s Ward and Miller trading off forceful phrases in “Align Your Planets,” Greene looping his bass over Kirchner’s flailing on-time/off-time drum fills in “I Will Save The Day (Part II),” or all four players engaging with each other in chaotic climax in “(A) New Life,”  there is usually always a lot of things happening at once.  And even though it sometimes sounds like they all could’ve been playing in separate rooms – sometimes in separate states – they always come back around to drive it home in one single direction.

As the expression of four extremely talented musicians, The Architects is a display of straight-ahead jazz chemistry in its freest form.  Though many jazz groups can be tight, not many can be free. With a modern mix of electronic music and post-rock styles, combined with the confidence to test the boundaries of tone and texture, Blink’s The Architects is a bright spot in the changing face of jazz.

Named after the awkwardly constructed Nintendo device of the late 1980s, Powerglove is a power-metal quartet that combines the shredding, über-harmonized, finger-tapping insanity of a band like DragonForce with the kitschy nostalgia of video-game covers.

On the band's first EP and LP, it tackled late-'80s and mid-'90s classics from Tetris, Mega Man, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, F-Zero, and assorted Final Fantasy games.  Now the group turns its video-game MO to the realm of Saturday-morning (and prime-time) cartoons for Saturday Morning Apocalypse, its first release on E1.

With maximum riffage and maniacal beats, lighthearted themes turn epic, sinister, or anywhere between.  Comic nerds whose formative years came in the '90s will smile upon hearing the album opener, the theme to the X-Men cartoon series — which, after three minutes, segues into a classical-guitar breakdown before finishing with full force.

Themes from The Simpsons, The Flintstones, Pokémon, Inspector Gadget, and The Transformers each are remade with squealing pitch harmonics, chugging guitars, and rapid double-kick beats.  There's a dark, powerful rendition of the Batman cartoon theme, with a glockenspiel providing a few complementary passages.  In the Batman theme — and throughout the disc — keyboards play a vital role, as killer programming accounts for the sweeping faux strings, "orchestra hits," synth arpeggios, and general spookiness.

And though these selections primarily are from Saturday-morning cartoons, there are a few other treats as well, including a fantastic metal rendition of "This is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas.  The absolute highlight is the Winnie the Pooh song ("Heffalumps and Woozles"), taking the grandeur to another level with an interlude of harp, pizzicato strings, bells, and more.

As the teenage antagonist from the 1989 film The Wizard would say, "I love the Powerglove.  It's so bad."

Powerglove: "This is Halloween"

Victoire: Cathedral City (New Amsterdam)

Formed in 2008, Victoire is an all-female electro-chamber quintet that was founded by composer Missy Mazzoli.  In just a few years, the classically trained group has issued an EP and landed a number of notable gigs, slowly building buzz around Brooklyn.

Cathedral City is Victoire's proper debut, and it's a striking album that marries emphatic string motifs to minimal yet clever accents of keyboards, clarinet, melodica, and rapturous vocals.

Other chamber ensembles have pushed boundaries in the 21st Century, but Victoire does so in a way that feels completely natural.  Digitized hi-hat beats, looped/glitched vocals, and touches of electric guitar (courtesy of The National's Bryce Dessner) subtly complement a harmonious blend of violin, double bass, and the aforementioned elements.

Epic classical-rock composer William Brittelle, bassist/composer Florent Ghys, and gifted soprano vocalist Mellissa Hughes also make appearances on Cathedral City, adding more character to an album that doesn't lack it. Cathedral City is an exciting arrival.

Victoire: "Cathedral City"

Aloe Blacc: Good Things (Stones Throw)

Starting his career as an MC in the hip-hop duo Emanon, Egbert Dawkins III — known as Aloe Blacc — transitioned to a solo soul singer early last decade.  The two careers overlapped for a stretch, but Dawkins began focusing on his solo career midway through the decade, following his 2003 debut EP with a 2006 full-length album, Shine Through.

Dawkins sang a lot on Shine Through, but he still offered a few raps to go with hip-hop production values, Latin sounds, and even a few pop vibes (like the Justin Timberlake-esque "Are You Ready?" and "Want Me").  Good Things, his sophomore follow-up, focuses on his soulful and R&B elements — with a few funky twists — in an effort to create "positive social change" through good vibrations.

A lot of it feels as personal as on previous albums, but tracks such as "Life So Hard" tackle political topics like the cruel hand of capitalism.  A similar sentiment is expressed on album opener "I Need a Dollar," a tune that has doubled as the theme for HBO's How to Make It in America.

Thanks to production assistance from the in-house team at Truth & Soul Records, Good Things remains sonically eclectic, tabbing strings, a vibraphone, and more in addition to the usual soul instrumentation.  It doesn't reach as far, stylistically, as Shine Through, but it refines Aloe Blacc's approach while expanding his political influence.

Aloe Blacc: "You Make Me Smile"

Greg Ward’s Fitted Shards: South Side Story (19/8)

Jazz saxophonist Greg Ward has accomplished so much over the past decade that it’s hard to believe he’s still in his late 20s.  His list of musical cohorts is so long that there's only time to mention a few big names — Hamid Drake, Jeff Parker, Von Freeman — and despite his relocation to New York, he's back in Chicago, his previous residence, nearly every other week for one-off gigs.

Fitted Shards is one of Ward's newest ensembles as a leader, and it features three other excellent young Chicagoans: bassist Jeff Greene (Blink.), keyboardist Rob Clearfield (Loom), and drummer Quin Kirchner (Nomo).

From the get-go, the quartet's debut, South Side Story, is unconventional for an album that is thoroughly jazzy.  "Segue," the opener, is built on a short bass repetition, providing latch-able ground for Ward's dexterous runs before an unexpectedly dense wave of keyboards provides some oomph.

The rest of Ward's compositions fall somewhere on the jazz spectrum, but each tune has its own feel and flair, including decidedly un-jazz elements like prog-ish synth accents on "All In" and distorted guitar backing on "Step Forward."  Additionally, Clearfield's talents are indispensable, as he brings Ward's softer melodies to life.

Greg Ward's Fitted Shards: "Step Forward"

Honorable Mentions

Jason Adasiewicz: Sun Rooms (Delmark)

Rahim AlHaj: Little Earth (UR Music)

Bad Religion: The Dissent of Man (Epitaph)

Ben Folds & Nick Hornby: Lonely Avenue (Nonesuch)

Black Anvil: Triumvirate (Relapse)

Enslaved: Axioma Ethica Odini (Indie Recordings)

Floored By Four (Mike Watt, Nels Cline, Yuka Honda, Dougie Bowne): s/t (Chimera Music)

Adam Haworth Stephens: We Live on Cliffs (Saddle Creek)

Alan Moore: Unearthing (Lex)

Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green: Apex (Pi)

Three Mile Pilot: The Inevitable Past is the Future Forgotten (Temporary Residence)

Unearthly Trance: V (Relapse)

Pete Yorn: s/t (Vagrant)

With more musical projects than fingers, Chicago guitarist Dave Miller has his hands fully immersed in jazz, rock, psychedelic, noise, and experimental forms.

His primary creation as a bandleader, Algernon, is one of his most accessible — jazz-flared, vibraphone-heavy post-rock that's rife with effects. His other groups draw further into the realms of freeform structures, though most don't hurt for hooks. (One such outfit, Zing!, was lauded here in advance of a local show last weekend.)

Online editor Scott Morrow caught up with Miller to discuss musical personalities, the connotations of the term "experimental," the next Algernon album, and his countless other endeavors.

Algernon is one of your most straightforward, melody-driven projects. Other than being a vehicle for your rock-flavored compositions, what do you hope to accomplish with Algernon?

One of my most important objectives in music has always been to connect with people. I try to walk the like between tradition and innovation as gracefully as possible.

So with Algernon, the project that reflects my musical personality most accurately, I try to write music that is accessible to people who are not musicians or music intellectuals without sacrificing the integrity of the music.

Like many of your outfits, Algernon is full of wild guitar effects. But how much of your experimentation — with pedals or otherwise — is reserved for Zing!, Blink., your other groups or your compositions for film and theater?

I was having a conversation about the musical term "experimental" with my good friend and musical cohort in Algernon, Toby Summerfield, recently. He made a really strong point that I agree with: a lot of times, the music that we write is called "experimental" because it may stretch the boundaries of what people may think of being conventional-sounding music.

Truth be told, "experimental" music writers will spend much time finding new and unusual ways of making music. However, the finished product is ideally no longer an experiment but a fully realized and valid musical idea.

With that being said, I am a curious musician by nature. So no matter what band I'm playing in or project that I'm working on, I try to continually find new ways of interpreting the music that lets my musical personality and influences shine through.

Your projects allow you to collaborate with other members of the jazz/rock/improv community. How does working in so many groups affect your own creativity?

I've found it to be somewhat overwhelming at times because, at any given moment, I tend to have a lot on my plate. Nevertheless, I'm never at a loss for being inspired, because I'm consistently playing great music with so many great musicians and having a blast doing so. I feel lucky to be a part of everything going on in Chicago scene right now!

What can we expect from the next Algernon release? What else are you working on?

The next Algernon album is all written. We have too many songs at this point, I think. We'll be recording in March at Steve Albini's studio, Electrical Audio, with our favorite enginer, Manny Sanchez.

This new album will be a little bit more rock-oriented and will have more experimentation with form. The album as a whole will go through a lot more musical moods than the last. I'm excited to get it done!

As far as other projects, the new Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls album will be out in March or April, the new WW Lowman album should be out by the summer, the new Mercury Effect (Tommy Faulds' solo project) album, which I contributed a good amount of guitar to, should be out soon, and new albums from the Kevin Kizer Quintet and the John Wojciechowski Quintet should be out soon as well.

I'm also in the beginning stages of planning out a solo record. I don't know really how to describe it yet, but it's different.

- Scott Morrow

Dave Miller: www.myspace.com/davemillermusic4
Algernon: www.algernonmusic.com

Blink. @ Uncommon Ground (Devon Ave.)

Based around forward-thinking compositions of bassist Jeff Greene, Blink. is a jazz-crossover four-piece that touches on rock as well as improvisation.

Each member is a shining figure in the future of Chicago's avant-jazz scene: Dave Miller (Algernon) provides noisy wanderings and distant moans on his guitar, sharply contrasting but strongly complementing the refined jazz chops of saxophonist Greg Ward (We Tree, Greg Ward Quartet). Drummer Quin Kirchner (NOMO, Tomorrow Music Orchestra) ably backs any given passage with beats that bounce, gently ting, or hit hard.

Greene also provides samples, which add another layer of sonic augmentation. Already together for two years, the group recently saw the release of its debut album, The Epidemic of Ideas, on alternative jazz label Thirsty Ear, so make sure to pick up a copy if you get to this free hour-long gig.

Blink.: www.myspace.com/blinkchicago
Thirsty Ear: www.thirstyear.com