Search - Pachora :: Astereotypical

Astereotypical

bimwa | Australia | 01/11/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Astereotypical is Pachora's 4th album. If you are familiar with the previous three, the sound of this one may be a little puzzling. The first three albums seemed to be refining a sound - odd times, Middle Eastern-style melodies, and a unique lineup (Chris Speed - clarinet, Brad Shepik - tambura/saz, Skuli Sverrisson - bass and Jim Black - percussion).I pretty much expected more of the same from Astereotypical. And those things are generally present here, but the band also branches out to a lot of different areas. For example, the feedback/distortion of 'Push', or 'Drifting', which sounds more like some kind of ambient guitar study than usual Pachora fare. There are also a lot more free, washy moments than usual.Of course, there is nothing wrong with a band re-inventing or extending their sound. I generally love the challenges that creates for the artist and the listener. However, in this instance, I am not so convinced. It seems like perhaps the band was rushed and so have included some lesser ideas, hence the patchiness of the album.Some people reading this will know that these guys play a lot together in other projects, like Chris Speed's Yeah No, Jim Black's AlasNoAxis, etc... and perhaps some of the more 'out there' pieces on Astereotypical are in fact more suited to some of these other projects than what we have come to expect from Pachora. Otherwise why have various different projects if they are going to start sounding alike?Anyway, I will conclude by saying that there are some beautiful pieces on this album, most notably Jim Black's 'Snap' and the traditional 'Mexahata'. But for a more solid introduction to Pachora, check out their other work, particularly Unn and Ast."