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Product Description
Review
Barely a year after their first album, All Is Yes, won the BBC's Jazz Album Of The year award, Bristol's jazz rock heroes Get The Blessing return with an extended name and album number two. The same line-up of Jim Barr (bass), Clive Deamer (drums), Jake McMurchie (saxophone) and Pete Judge (trumpet) aided in spots by Portishead's Adrian Utley (Barr divides his time between both outfits) turn in a similar combination of pulse-quickening vamps that plough headlong into more reflective, modal mid-sections or slower, twisting explorations leading to dizzying explosions of sound.
With only the addition of some diaphanous vocals to colour the mix on the opening blast, Music Style Product - another 70s car chase contender - their modus operandi is little changed from the debut. While the explorations of McMurchie and Judge will give the most pleasure for fans of free form jazz of the more cosmic persuasion if there's a fault it's that the formula belies a certain tentativeness. Wrapping their 'unidentifiable' work within a comforting rock sandwich as if to slip it past the cool police merely makes you long for some more 'out-there' moments as on the spacey shenanigans of Tarp. A particularly dry production adds to this feeling.
Barr's bass-as-lead approach is still an essential element, its drive always adding that certain extra, and his Holger Czukay-like twang on The Word For Moonlight Is Moonlight is hypnotic. But where the band really strike gold is on the closing slow meander of Bloom which suddenly lifts ecstatically to the rafters as it seques into Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes (brilliant title by the way, boys).
Ultimately Bugs In Amber is probably too close to its predecessor in tone and style to make it stand as proud as it should for a band with such singular talent. That's no criticism; it's a complaint common to many second albums where bands include work that's been tried and tested on the road or on b-sides (in this case The Unnameable) or stick to tested working methods that don't truly push them beyond their comfort zone. Bugs In Amber is a great album, but Get The Blessing are capable of more. This is business as usual: let's hope album number three throws caution to the wind. --Chris Jones
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CD Description
The follow up to the BBC Jazz award winning debut 'All is Yes'. New music featuring members of Portishead. Noisier, thrashier and less conventional than ever Get The Blessing return with 'Bugs in Amber'. As “post-jazz” finds its feet there are certain bands in this thriving scene that scream out at you. Tied to jazz by its freedom and spirit but with a punk attitude, rock energy and beats driven by a foundation in dance Get The Blessing (formerly The Blessing) walk a thin line, but rather than pushing people away they have managed to draw people into their quirky clique. Tracks: MUSIC STYLE PRODUCT / THE WORD FOR MOONLIGHT IS MOONLIGHT / THE UNNAMEABLE / BUGS IN AMBER / TARP / EINSTEIN ACTION FIGURES / THE SPEED OF DARK / BLOOM / YES I SAID YES I WILL YES / TRAPDOOR UK Dates 2009 16 April Vortex, London – Preview date / 19 April Isle of Wight Jazz Festival / 01 May Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Pillar Room / 28 May Cargo, London – Official Launch date 04 June Matt and Phreds, Manchester / 11 June Boileroom, Guildford / 24 June Rainbow, Birmingham / 12 July Swanage Jazz Festival
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Wow! Blow-your-socks-off stuff once again from the Bristol Quartet.
Is it Jazz? Is it Rock? Do I care? Nope.
The Blessing Boys create a wonderful sound world encompassing American 70's cop series Funk, Dance-inspired beats, dreamy spacey psychedelia, anthemic build-ups and not just a small amount of nod'n'wink humour.
Virtuosic playing from all 4 corners, but it doesn't add up to cerebral noodlings or look-at-me over-showmanship. Instead the result is joyous and vibrant, with tone for miles, and depth.
Comparisons are made with Acoustic Ladyland, Polar Bear and the likes. This is LAZY pigeon-holing. Clive Deamer is quite a different animal to Seb Rochford and Get The Blessing are a beast unto themselves.
This recording does a pretty fine job of capturing the energy of a live encounter with these guys (something that doesn't often happen with recordings) but, if you do get a chance to see them play live, sell your grandmother to do it.
Is it Jazz? Is it Rock? Do I care? Nope.
The Blessing Boys create a wonderful sound world encompassing American 70's cop series Funk, Dance-inspired beats, dreamy spacey psychedelia, anthemic build-ups and not just a small amount of nod'n'wink humour.
Virtuosic playing from all 4 corners, but it doesn't add up to cerebral noodlings or look-at-me over-showmanship. Instead the result is joyous and vibrant, with tone for miles, and depth.
Comparisons are made with Acoustic Ladyland, Polar Bear and the likes. This is LAZY pigeon-holing. Clive Deamer is quite a different animal to Seb Rochford and Get The Blessing are a beast unto themselves.
This recording does a pretty fine job of capturing the energy of a live encounter with these guys (something that doesn't often happen with recordings) but, if you do get a chance to see them play live, sell your grandmother to do it.
Format:Audio CD
Another excellent album from Get The Blessing. Avant-garde Rock Jazz for modern times. They dress in smart suits too.
Format:Audio CD
We saw them at the Swanage Jazz Festival and have since acquired all their CDs. Bought this as a Christmas gift to spread the word. Go see and hear!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Punchy without cliches
I hesitated to review Bugs In Amber because, as with their first offering ,All Is Yes, it took me good few playings for to fully appreciate it. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by Ajarn Col
Getting better all the time
A change of name, The Blessing added "Get" in front to avoid confusion with a punk band, but no reduction in the mind-blowing inventiveness of this Bristol foursome. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2009 by The Electric Ghost
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