Search - Secret Chiefs 3 :: Xaphan: The Book of Angels, Vol. 9

Cinematic, unexpected, and fantastic.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 05/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So I've had "Xaphan" for a good week now and I've started and stopped this review maybe half a dozen times as I'm trying to figure out how best to discuss this record. So rather than deferring to my usual review strategy, I'm going to be a bit more general.



Before going any further, I suspect large portions of the audience for this album is going to be unfamiliar with one or the other of the primaries on this record, so a brief introduction to both and the project. John Zorn is a stunningly prolific downtown New York composer and avant-garde luminary, best known for his pioneering (and still 10 years ahead of their time) band Naked City and his exploration of jazz and Jewish melodies, Masada. In late 2004, Zorn composed some 300 songs for his second book of Masada pieces and has invited a number of musicians to record albums of this material, including Trey Spruance. It's worth noting that Zorn is having a downright extraordinary year-- this is the fifth record released of his work (including a limited edition benefit performance for his club, The Stone), and each and every one of them has been nothing short of spectacular.



Spruance, best known as the guitarist for the seminal avant-rock band Mr. Bungle, has in recent years been principally absorbed with the Secret Chiefs 3, a project that, like much of Zorn's best work, defies categorization. Spruance has performed for Zorn now and again, although I have to confess that after hearing his criticism of Weird Little Boy (a little digging online will uncover details), I did not expect another collaboration.



But we did get "Xaphan", and am I grateful. Spruance takes eleven of Zorn's Masada compositions and brings them across the world and back again, stray traces of funk, surf, world (particularly Arabic), techno and a thousand other sounds blend seamlessly together to form a cinematic soundscape. The album opens with a deep groove established by bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Ches Smith on opener "Sheburiel" and pretty much never lets go. It manages to be cinematic and mournful ("Barakiel"), full of stunning performances (Rich Doucette's sarangi solo on "Bezriel", Spruance's guitar leads on "Labbiel") and the expected great melodies from Zorn ("Asron" is of particular note). In many ways, the album accomplishes what I felt Koby Israelite's Orobas: Book of Angels, Vol. 4 was trying to do.



I think in the end, this is one that anyone who might be interested in it will be really happy with-- "Xaphan" is a fine example of just how extraordinary both Zorn is as a composer but also of the arranging skills of Spruance. Highly recommended.



(a quick side note-- any Spruance/Mr. Bungle fans who enjoy this would be highly advised to explore Zorn's work in detail, the aformentioned Naked City is an excellent place to start, but for something in the same vein, At the Mountains of Madness or for the more jazz-minded, 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 7 would be a good place to start. Likewise, for Zorn fans, the Secret Chiefs 3 material is well worth investigation-- compilation Path of Most Resistance is a fine place to start, and for something wholly other, Mr. Bungle's California is on my short list of essential listening, particularly for any Zorn fan who enjoys his efforts in the vein of The Dreamers)."

Brilliant arrangements by Trey of some great Zorn tunes...

Fauxliage | Paducah, KY | 05/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Xaphan Songs: (all written by John Zorn & arranged by Trey Spruance)



1. Sheburiel ~ Nice surf/exotica about 30 seconds in, which transitions into a delightful string melody with surf guitar reminiscent of something from the Electric Masada catalog. Overall, this is quite a schizophrenic song, but nice textures... it's a prelude for what's to come in the rest of the record.

2. Akramachamarei ~ Intro with what sounds like a sarangi, but what do I know. Very much a spaghetti-western-meets-middle-east vibe on this track. I dig it. The title sounds like an interesting mixed drink (something along the lines of okra-infused vodka bloody mary with a sprig of mâche instead of celery). Oh, and if you don't know what mâche is, well, it's a delightfully nutty leaf in the lettuce family. So, yeah, spaghetti-western-meets-middle-eastern bloody mary concoctions all around!! And any band naming themselves Okra-infused Vodka, you owe me royalties. OK, back to the music...

3. Shoel ~ Conga intro... keys, dub beats, and fuzz-guitar. Nice. Like at least 2-days of stubble on the guitars. Back into clean spag-west guitar... yeah, know, pretty soon, I'm running out of descriptions and adjectives beyond "cool," "neato," and "nice tom work, Ches." I'm not a musician; so that's the best you get, fools. This is one of my favorite tracks so far.

4. Barakiel ~ Slowish, clean guitar entry with some slide, harp, and gentile genteel vocals... moving into a bouncier spag-west guitar, but still with ethereal strings and piano.

5. Bezriel ~ Oooo... Trey's bringing the rock into it. Good interplay between the calm-before-the-storm viola and/or violin with the guitar chunk and vocal haunts. The last half of the track features some more strings and less of the chunk (oh, wait, I lied... it ends with the chunk). :) Another one of my favorite tracks.

6. Kemuel ~ Bungle-y circus organ into swirling drum-guitar-vocal passage into a dirty string solo.

7. Labbiel ~ Interesting time signature interplay between the guitars and drums.

8. Asron ~ Aw geez, I just lost the game. I zoned out to the great music and forgot to write about it. Bad reviewer, bad reviewer. Anyway, back to the music. Nice violin and guitars to end it.

9. Balberith ~ Starts with a great melodic bass line with some fuzz/scratch guitar. Ah, the trumpet finally kicks in. Nice stuff, Timb. This could fit on Zorn's The Dreamers or Electric Masada nicely. That's a compliment. :) Another one of my favs on this record.

10. Omael ~ Add some xylophone, and I'd say the intro to this fits into a Zappa catalog. :) This is a faster-paced song... for the SC3 bellydancer contingent, don't pick this. Your legs might fall off. This one has some great percussion and more trumpet. I'm getting lost in the sounds, but I'm digging it.

11. Hamaya ~ Clean exotica guitar intro, organ, vocal chants (something about tostadas?). Oh, a seemingly (to me) "The Exile" or "Book T: Exodus" strings-n-guitars moment about 1 minute in... nice. Nice melty fade that sucks me back into... g-to-the-d, why is it 84 degrees in my house!? Sometimes I hate renting a house in Oregon that does have A/C. Anyway, a great end to a great album.



I recommend you take some listens on MySpace, Amazon, and iTunes (when they get it)... and support good music if you like what you hear. It's currently available at Web of Mimicry, Downtown Music Gallery, and Amazon (to name a few). I don't do the track-by-track treatment on just any record... this is a special record.



Fav tracks: Shoel (#3), Bezriel (#5), Balberith (#9), and Hamaya (#11).



Recommended if you like: world music, middle eastern music, progressive music with a bellydance beat, ADHD prescriptions, Secret Chiefs 3, Estradasphere, Mr. Bungle, John Zorn, et al... it's very much a Secret Chiefs 3 record, but probably one of their more "accessible" ones (as well as being an accessible John Zorn-penned album). User friendly, middle-eastern rock-romp through a mad alchemist's mind (Trey is a brilliant musician, IMO). This is my favorite in John Zorn's Masada Book Two series, and that's saying a lot (I love all 10 of the series thus far)."

Fantastic!

Pishi | 04/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Incredibly catchy melodies over Trey's well know arranging style allows for a strong work. I have been listening to this nonstop since I bought it!"