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Written
by Larry Robertson, posted by blog admin
Coming
at you like a bat out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Joel Olnick Band is a power
trio led by the namesake guitarist himself.
They’ve been working the scene for a very long time and Downtown is the 6th album in
a sprawling discography that’s been steadily building for several years. The band is prolific and that’s always great
to see when too many bands, projects and artists will get off to a promising
start but then somehow not getting enough time to show their full-potential
musically. Thankfully, these cats have
been able to stick together and cultivate a unique sound.
With
the angular, hallucinatory tempo-shifting and electric guitar razzle dazzle
happening here it’s clear from the get-go that this is some forward-thinking
instrumental stuff. Olnick’s original
compositions have been compared to everybody from Miles Davis to Pink Floyd and
the more you listen to the album you can see why people are coming up with
these possible influences to the music heard on this latest LP-length
smorgasbord. The title track runs a
ghostly synthesizer moan behind a lush drum n’ bass groove and Olnick’s
free-form, wah-drenched electric guitar insanity to shade in the vibrant
palette with a psychedelic grind house vibe…
It’s progressive stuff for certain and Joe wrings his instrument for all
its worth in the tradition of some of the most dangerous
60s guitar heroes. “Philadelphia
Moonlight (Part One)” inflects a southern, bluesy twang into its
cross-pollinated psyche/surf guitar licks that unfold in endless dreamy swirls
while a smooth funk rhythm maintains form beneath Joe’s cosmic signals.
As
the album enters what almost feels like a second distinct movement a trio of
increasingly experimental and exotic numbers appear to shake-up listeners who
are looking for safe music. “Food Truck”
relishes the band’s primary funk influences but the rhythm section sneaks in a
sleazier, shadier groove that kisses the music with a subtle menace even when
Olnick’s swinging guitar shred is at its most expressive and uplifting. Though not indicated in the album
information, the pairing of “Parkside” and “Philadelphia Moonlight (Part Two)”
feels deliberate. This duo is marked by
strange, almost harrowing synths, contemplative rhythms that brood on some
singular ideas before the music wildly thrusts itself into the next passage and
freaky deaky guitar licks and twiddle-y drones.
“Rush Hour” likens itself to the opener “Downtown” and is another return
of hip-shaking d & b action with frenetic guitar figures covering every
inch of the rhythm section with a rich blanket of sound. This delegates album ender “Sports Complex”
to sound like some kind of weird blend of Hawkwind, Motorhead and a punk
band…only without vocals and more towards the psychedelia of Hawkwind.
Downtown is the type of
album that once it bites you, it never lets go.
That’s what happened to me when I was listening to it. I had to see how each track fit in with the
next. It’s psychedelic, moody, fun,
unsettling, unusual, traditional and much, much more. Thanks to the tightness of the rhythm section
and Joe Olnick’s signature guitar sizzle and complicated yet tuneful
songwriting there’s a lot of reason to keep coming back to Downtown.
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