Search - Kneebody :: Break Me

The hippest instrumental music I've heard in a long time!

Music Seeker | 06/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was too young to remember Miles' Bitches Brew. I do remember how excited I was about Weather Report. Wasn't too crazy about the Pat Metheney Group, but did recognize its appeal to the masses. All these groups were the product of their times, unafraid to incorporate the many influences swirling around which many straight-ahead jazz musicians wouldn't dare touch, like rock and electronics. And they were exciting because they were taking risks.



So what would such a band sound like today? I say it would be like Kneebody. Tight compositions, amazing musicianship, improvisation, which are so in tune with 'now'. What makes it sound so current? First, the amazing compositions. You have to hear them to know what I'm talking about so at the very least, before you leave this page, listen to the clips. Then the groove. It is grungy, dirty, totally rockin', and often it's in odd meters although one wouldn't even be thinking about such things when listening to this album. And the sounds itself, the different sound effects and electronics which is so tastefully used, just enough to make you wonder what kind of music it really is. The occasional burning solos, occasional because most of the music is totally group based, adds an exciting contrast, artfully avoiding the jazz trap of endless cycle of soloists blowing over the same changes in the same meter in the same tempo.



This is a CD which must have required a lot of thought and time spent together by the group. It's on Dave Douglas' new label, which gives it an added twist. What kind of music is it, really? For me, the answer is clear. It doesn't matter. It's the hippest instrumental music I've heard in a long time."

An Amazing Album!

J. Randall | Atlanta, GA USA | 07/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A great blend of jazz, rock, hip-hop, funk, and electronica! Beautiful, creative, and inventive stuff! Please give it a sample!"