Gumshen - What You Make It

Every time a new Gumshen CD is hand delivered to me by Postman Sal, I get overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions. First, it’s elation. Sal inevitably cringes and recoils in fear as I burst from behind my desk, give the old dude a bear hug, and thank him for being conceived, his parents for conceiving him, and his parent’s parents for conceiving them. He’ll leave and I’ll return to my chair, staring with that gleeful smirk that I get. Second, I’m overcome with this sense of privilege and power, for I have the new Gumshen in my possession and you don’t . . . Ha! Take that you cretins! Then, there’s the crash of reality. Third, I’m dropped into a mirthful state of depression, for how . . . how many more words can I hammer out to describe what I know will be a sonic thrill ride without repeating myself? I mean, I’ve reviewed the bands last three releases, they have achieved that near God-like stature in my music collection. Where can I go with the written word? And then it hits me . . . WWGD. What Would Gumshen Do?

I had to channel my inner Gumshen. Plain and simple. Even if I never achieve the godhead status of Gumshen with my own craft, the very least I can do is make the attempt. So . . . here goes:

What You Make It is technically the fifth release from this musical wonderment known as Gumshen, the fourth under the actual Gumshen name, and arguments will rage for evermore that this is the best recording to date. That argument will last only as long as you’re playing it . . . and then you’ll go back and drop in March of the Februaries, Super Buffet, or Stew and you’ll swear those are the best. What I’m getting at is this: Gumshen never fail to deliver a product that will please you as a listener, inspire you as an artist, challenge you as an intellect, or frustrate you as a music critic. I say frustrate because writing about these guys is one of those exercises in futility, for one will never actually capture the true essence of the music by merely chucking a bunch of words onto a page. What describer can I possibly plant in front of my nouns and verbs that I haven’t used before? Ah ha! I’ll make up my own! No . . . no, that’s just silly.

“Not Every One Of Us” opens the disc with a great modern pop-rock sound (no . . . not the sugary treat that explodes in your mouth), crisp guitars and keys plinking a simple little melody, the drums join in and help build the tempo, the bass saunters on in and adds the sultry textures . . . and then Ron Hippe’s vocals stop the world and we melt into a puddle of ourselves. At times, I hear a resemblance to Daryl Hall in that voice. Soulful, yet with a playful air, Hippe’s voice gets me on this track much like it did on “Dandelions” (Stew) or “Gone Too Soon” (Super Buffet). The song as a whole is a marvelous piece of music and another great example of how this band can compose a four minute track to sound like a mini-epic. The use of volume swells, added instrumentation at the chorus, changing tempo and mood . . . it’s all worked to perfection to create a song that takes the listener on a journey to soaring heights.

Now follow that track up with “I Know You Girl”, get ready to polish off the platform shoes and get your 70’s dance floor funk going on. The song starts with a cool piano piece that kind of sounds out of place in light of where the song goes, but is way cool nonetheless. Once the band kicks in together, we’re hand delivered a track that should be the highlight of any dance club on this, or any other planet. I can hear it now being remixed by every mix master this-that or another and filling every club with sweaty bodies gyrating to this funky ass bass line. I love the guitar line over the rhythm . . . it’s just the dynamic texture that separates this rhythmic groove sound from all the rest of the hyper hip shakers that have come before it. Classic Gumshen. The re-interpretation of a musical style. Create a sound, push the envelope on where that sound will go, and then push it some more. This track doesn’t just sit comfortably in a funk mode though, we get a little rap and 70’s-style progressive rock in here as well. These guys found a way to break up the groove and take the song into this great guitar and keyboard driven riff, and then they bring it all back to the funk groove . . . all without losing the listener, and in just over four minutes! Fucking brilliant!

“Krypton” is a stunner. Heavy and ominous, introduced by a delayed guitar riff and then propelled through the stratosphere by some heavy rhythms, this song has an overpowering sense of dread to it. This is a side to Gumshen that I had yet to hear, and they tackled the darkened vibes with a natural grace that makes me hope that they’ll explore these tones in the future. The major ear-perking moment occurs at just about 58 seconds into the song. The song goes from a space-y, quasi-psychedelic meandering to a tight and heavy riff, made special by the vocal performance and made spectacular by the backing vocal accompaniment. Very few bands can execute a vocal performance that becomes a focal point of a song, making it more powerful than if performed in a standard vocal approach . . . CS&N(Y) and the prog-tastic soundings of Pure Reason Revolution come to immediate mind of acts who use vocals to such moving emotional and dramatic power. I’m simply amazed. New wrinkle, same band. This track is clocking in at just over three minutes and has more textural dynamics than most fifteen minute prog-epics!

Overall, there’s a darker element underlying this recording than previous Gumshen efforts, and that’s fine by me. Oddly enough, this record has a sparse feeling in comparison to the bands back catalog despite the massive instrumentation. It’s almost like they wrote these songs for a symphony, yet played them as stripped down as possible. The music is still as complex as balancing the national budget, but not unlistenable. Me thinks this has to do with the bands innate ability to work such great melodies into their music . . . that melody acts as a metal detector on an afternoon hike through a minefield. I also love that this band has shown consistent growth year after year after year. Every CD that lands in my lap seems to outdo the one before it, but never completely disregards it either . . . the discs are all complimentary of one another and ultimately chronicle the bands history. If Stew was the infant just learning to walk, we might be looking at What You Make It as a young adolescent seeing the world through the eyes of experience. What the next record will be we will have to wait and see.

Pope

www.gumshen.com

Extended Play Wednesday: Gumshen and Profuna Ocean

Gumshen – March of the Februaries

I’ve been following Gumshen for a couple of years now, and the greatest lesson that I’ve learned is to expect the unexpected with their music. March of the Februaries carries on with the adept sonic exploration that these guys have been undertaking since their days as Menthol James. Stew was the first EP to capture our attention with its alt-rock-y leanings, Super Buffet took those alt-rock-y leanings and a added flair of 70’s-era classic rock, and March of the Februaries . . . takes another step, nay . . . leap into the future while staying firmly rooted in the sounds of the past. It has rock elements, but not the knuckle dragging, Neanderthal rock to toss beers back to; it has a jazzy element as well, but not that so far over your head type of jazz that makes it inaccessible. This EP represents the most complete production that I’ve had the good fortune of hearing from the band and what I wouldn’t give to have a major label come along and hole them up in a studio for three months so they could put together a full album! In the past, I’ve said that their sound can never be pigeon-holed and that case hasn’t changed in the least . . . if anything, they’ve further separated themselves from any known genre.

Nothing quite captures the Gumshen sound like the opening track, “Perfect.” Stylistically, this song is all over the place, but in classic Gumshen fashion, they keep the tune flowing without making the stylistic transitions sound forced or out of place. If there were one song out there that defines who these guys are, then this song should pretty much do it. The song kicks off with a huge drum sound echoing over the crisp arpeggios, and then the dynamics that define the band start falling into place. Dual vocals, one melodic and pleading, the other rapped and immediate, intermingle over swells of distorted guitars, keyboards, and feedback, giving the song a haunting Beatles-esque vibe. Yes! That’s exactly what’s going on here . . . think late era Beatles and the musical experimentation that those guys were doing, and then give it a modern sensibility and laser sharp focus.  That’s what this song is. Once “Perfect” hits the mid-point and erupts in a blast of distorted guitars and angst-y vocals, then flows into a searing, emotion laden guitar solo, phew . . . it takes the breath away. The title may very well do all the description that is necessary.

“Hit the Shed” and “Delicious” are two funked out rockers that bring in elements of artists such as Stevie Wonder and have him dancing a jig with Gavin Rossdale . . . ballsy, but danceable, and quite possibly the two songs that best capture the bands ability to cut loose and simply have fun. But then, Gumshen go down a path that I didn’t see tucked there in the trees. “Illusia” is the grand epic EP closer, full of musical majesty and as ambitious a song as I ever thought I’d hear. It’s actually quite stunning. Part circus show tune, part 70’s rocker, part acid trip, part night in a martini lounge, part jam band magic, part interstellar space ride, part hitchhiking through the desert . . . my God, this song is all over the freaking place and a sonic treasure! Pay special attention to the guitar solo about a third of the way in and the utterly tasteful licks that they squeeze from the instrument, and then how it blends in with the synthesizers . . . brilliant work! Oh, and after the space-y musical amoeba of sound, the Supertramp-y clang of the piano keys is absolutely thrilling. The song then weaves along its way like a drunken sailor on shore leave, narrowly pitching itself into the blackness of the chilling harbor waters only to right itself at the moment that all looks lost, and our hero stumbles into the loving arms of a beautiful woman for a safe nights sleep. One could make the analogy of the pilot of a small Cesna suddenly passing away and an inexperienced passenger taking over the controls and safely landing the bird on the ground. Either works. Magnificent performance from all players and the kind of songwriting that gives me hope for the future. Gumshen . . . you’ve outdone yourselves. www.gumshen.com 

Profuna Ocean – Watching the Closing Sky

This EP has be sitting on my desk, spinning around my CD player, sitting on my desk, spinning around my CD player, sitting on my desk . . . Groundhog’s Day, anyone? I haven’t written about Profuna Ocean’s Watching the Closing Sky before now simply because there have been so many other albums that have stolen my attention. For that, I apologize. This disc should have been given its due love earlier than now, so . . . what I have for y’all is a progressive rocking four song set that stands closer to bands like Porcupine Tree or Riverside than not. Though Profuna Ocean has some semblance to these artists, they have their own unique voice to the whole progressive rock thing. They incorporate heavy passages with sweeping ambient elements to create lush soundscapes and epic journeys in music. The keyboards and synths are certainly a focal point to their sound, but they mix in some pretty powerful guitar work to fill things out. Unlike a lot of super fractional division prog-rock, Profuna Ocean focuses on the song first, then apply the heady musicianship on top of fine compositions.

“Lost Inside (The Landscape)” is a perfect example of a compelling song that would sound good stripped of any superfluous elements, but sounds better with the added musical elements. Almost eight and a half minutes in length, this tune begins its epic journey by grinding out a distorted guitar riff while the drums pound away in tribal fashion across the skins of the toms. The vocals are clean, and though a little thin at times, have a nuance to them that plays havoc with imagination. Listen to the way the guitars, vocals, and synths dance around each other at the chorus, creating a moment of unsteady serenity. Suddenly, we come to a break filled with instruments building on top of one another, and ultimately exploding into a tense riff that highlights the heavier side of the band. With a denser production, this portion would be ominous . . . maybe I need bigger speakers, whatever . . . this song then goes to straight up double bass thundering rock and heavy metal intensity. This is the kind of prog that I can get behind because it’s not all “Look Mom! I can play a million notes faster than that guy!” It’s the kind of prog that takes a standard composition and applies sweeping brush strokes of color to the sound, injects the song with fresh ideas or unusual approaches towards execution of ideas. It’s the kind of prog that doesn’t lose the emotion for the sake of the technical wizardry. www.profuna-ocean.com  

--  Pope JTE