Bass CDs
Review – Consider the Source: World War Trio Part 1
Last year we did some coverage on a really promising trio from New York City named Consider The Source.
An eclectic mix of prog rock, jam funk, middle-eastern, world music, and even at times shred metal, the guys are making an impact on the jam scene for bringing something completely new to the table. Not wanting to rest on their laurels the band went back into the studio last year to compose an epic 3-disc entitled “World War Trio”. Dubbed “Sci-Fi middle eastern fusion” by some, the 1st installment in the 3-disc set is a whopping 23-minute VI part piece entitled “Put Another Rock in That Bag”.
For this review I decided to go track-by-track of parts I-VI to give the listener a brief idea for what’s in store. This album as a whole was a huge delight to listen to but it is a record that requires a dedicated and open minded listener. With soundscapes that touch an almost every style imaginable and an extremely high level of virtuosity by all players, WWtrio is definitely something that requires a listener who truly loves a lot of styles of music. If you dig stuff that is trying to push the envelope you will Absolutely LOVE this record.
PT I: Starts of with bassist John Ferrera delivering a galloping tap line to kick off the pacing. The band comes in all together to go into what I would describe as a psychedelic version of Muse’ “Knights of Cydonia”, nice trippy fretless melodies lead the way from Gabriel Marin’s double neck guitar. The song goes from heavy metal riffs to an almost carnival like atmosphere at times, a very unique prog perspective to open up the cd. This song is definitely lush with colorful sounds that is for sure.
P II: A nice tapping line reminiscent of minus the bear kicks off the tune with John providing these lush whale like swells on bass to give a nice trippy feel, making the tune feel spacious and ethereal to begin with. It then kicks into a nice fretless melody to lighten the mood. Some very happy melodies and soundscapes follow leading to a very relaxed and joyful listening experience. The best way I can describe the tune is imagine yourself happily floating through a coral reef watching the nature around you hahaha.
P III: This track is one of my favorites on the CD. It starts off with a very pretty acoustic line that is paired with bassist John laying down some very nice lush melodic lines. Best way I could describe them as synthy in a very YES type of way. This song has some really cool twists and turns. The best way to describe the intro is like sitting on a boat in the ocean on a calm night. It transform by the end into a really cool odd meter prog feel that gets heavier and concludes the journey on an awesome left turn. Very cool.
P IV: A great example of what can be done with a trio and some cool synth-soundscapes, painting an almost space like vibe to establish the tune. Really cool use of dynamics in this tune, which is great to see a band utilizing with such fluency. At the 2:10 mark the vibe gets decidedly more proggy, utilizing some breakdowns in combination with these soundscapes. The end is a straight-ahead prog metal good time with a tasty fun breakdown and odd meter explorations to wrap it up. A cool contrast from beginning to end, a crazy journey indeed!
P V&VI: The final track is a 5:17 long piece that connects two different movements. A continuation of the prog vibe, with some really cool slap licks and stellar drumming by Jeff Mann, holding the vibe together through the changing meters.