Scarecrow Collection Nominated for a JammyScarecrow Collection is coming off a great 2007 and their accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. The band has
been nominated for 'New Groove of the Year' at the 7th Annual Jammy Awards being held at The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Harmonized Records Signs Roots of CreationHarmonized Records is proud to announce the newest member of our family, Roots of Creation. We will be releasing Live Volume 1 on July 8th. Check out the band at www.rootsofcreation.com for more information.
Afromotive Review in SE PerformerThe Afromotive — Scare Tactics
RECORDED AND MIXED BY JACOB KELLER
PRODUCED BY JACOB KELLER AND THE AFROMOTIVE
MASTERED BY DAN GONKO
Masterfully recorded and precisely performed, Scare Tactics is so well executed that it nearly sounds synthetic. The members of North Carolina's The Afromotive have backed up international acts such as Eryka Badu and Kalakuta Moziak in their careers and their new album is rife with astounding technique and dizzying polyrhythm. As talented musicians, the members of The Afromotive are surely some of the best, but the album's actual music falls into too many world beat cliches to truly stand out in the genre.
The recurring dynamic is simple: instruments drop out, then return, and horns punch in and out between lyrical phrases. The heavy reliance on repetitive grooves rather than traditional pop song structures make it perfect for sampling and creating loops, but the listener is not taken on much of a journey; typically, the parts of the songs are nearly interchangeable, and the intensity, albeit high, rarely varies. The tempo change in "Red E Yo," for example, is one of the most enthralling parts of the album, but it stands out because it is a rarity. Were Scare Tactics to more often stray into a looser, Dionysian approach, not only would the band make more of an impact when it tightened up again, but it would also win over listeners who seek more than technical proficiency.
Singer Kevin Meyame's lyrics are simple, but portray a certain
charming wisdom; five of the eight songs are sung in broken English, two are in French, and one boasts lyrics in both French and Baoule, Meyame's native West African language. The non-English songs are clumsily translated in the lyric booklet, which actually adds to their charm and impact. Meyame's observations about nurturing the young, for example, are terse and to-the-point in a way that would escape correct grammar: "He go make young bring him beer / Make young want to drink / He go make young bring gun for him / Make young one go for gun." Scare Tactics' strength lies in its juxtaposition of simple lyrical ideas over complex rhythms. Although it lacks diversity. Scare Tactics provides solid grooves and a refreshing departure from the maudlin attempts of most modern acts, and not a single performance
falls short of perfect. (Harmonized Records) www.theafromotive.com -Harold Zimm
Harmonized Records To Release Live Raq Vol. 1Harmonized Records and RAQ are pleased to Announce that LIVE RAQ VOL. 1 will be available in the form of a "dropcard" at the bands live shows beginning Thanksgiving weekend and on all your favorite digital sites in the coming weeks.
The fist show from the series is taken from Spring 2007 tour and is just he first in a long series to be multi-tracked, and mastered by the band. For more information visit www.raqmusic.com.
Future Rock ReviewBy: Josh Potter
Under a title as aggrandizing as "Future Rock," a band could go one of two ways: 1) spaced-out, tactless wanking their way into a musical beyond only as deep as their limited vision or 2) humble and humorous in the manner of great retro-futurists who take such a title for its campy '50s sci-fi gloss. Fortunately, this Future Rock is of the latter camp. Amidst a genre of livetronica acts that wander in and out of ideas, this trio exhibits concise compositions with ample changes. Taking full advantage of the studio setting, Gears (Harmonized) comes off as a collection of party tracks in the manner of Daft Punk and Ratatat.
JamBase | Cosmos
Go See Live Music!
