The ESP-Disk subsidiary Engine Studios has quite an aesthetic to their name. Specializing in avant-garde an experimental music coupled with appealing letterpressed chipboard packaging for every release, I couldn't fathom being disappointed with the sounds to come of these discs-- even more so the styles at hand. As expected, Engine's latest release in the catalog, Many Arms' Missing Time evoked nothing short of intrigue.
Many Arms are a Philadelphia trio that, similar to drummer Ricardo Lagomasino's other band Capillary Action, perform heavily complex and confounding jams. Self-described as being indebted to the classic saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman and punk visionaries Black Flag, Many Arms orchestrate a stellar fusion of both the cerebral and the brash. These influences become undeniably apt once the opener "Bonding" professes a menacing chord progression a la My War breaking off into a free-form sprawl. The noodling bass line and bongo-centered percussion of "Enfolded Within A Great Flow" also make a prevalent acknowledgement to jazz experimentalists-- and this well versed collision of influences is accented by the frenetically quirky precision shared by no wave-inspired acts like Silver Daggers, Gay Beast, and even Godzik Pink-- particularly on "Extraction."
On Missing Time, Many Arms display a relieving departure from experimental rock contemporaries by adding a vintage flair to this contemporary art-punk sound. Though the music may lose its impact among the 10-minute lengths, it is baffling to observe the musicianship at hand. The "power trio" term given to Many Arms really justifies itself; each member is playing within their own realm-- yet still pertaining to the broader context of the band. Missing Time is a great album that encompasses both the calculated and the free-spirited aspects of avant-garde.
[Many Arms Myspace]
[Buy Missing Time from Engine Studios]
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