LIGHT COORPORATION

LIGHT COORPORATION are a seven piece band from Poland, and this is their debut from 2011. I have this album included in my "best of" Jazz and related section even though they are listed here under Avant. You know when the ReR label signed them that they have to be experimental right?. Lets just call this Avant jazz. We get a baritone sax player and also a tenor sax man, and they are the soloists, and they can get dissonant and adventerous. Fender Rhodes/synths, bass, drums, guitar and violin round out the lineup.

I like that the album opens with that less than a minute "Transparencies" consisting of electronics. The album ends the same way which is a nice touch. "Toyko Streets Symphony" has this melody that is memorable and repeated. It was like meeting an old friend spinning this song this past week as I had spent time with this several years ago. An urgent and steady rhythm section and man the drummer is good, but all of these guys are players. It can be catchy but also challenging.

"Maestro X" opens with a solo bass line before drums join in. The horns get close to brutal territory here, close and briefly. Love that chilled section, then it kicks back in before 5 minutes. Nice. "Ethnic Melody From The Saturn" is a powerful and mid paced track that opens with a ton of atmosphere. Synths on this one, a rare thing but the sax dominates. Sparse and experimental sounds on "The Legend Of Khan's Abduction" but sax will come out of this and it will be dissonant as the experimental mood continues throughout.

"The Seven Wells(Evening Sound Session)" is a high energy piece that is sax driven. The closer "Merchaw Zman" opens sounding like the guys are warming up, but you have to hear it later after 6 minutes, so powerful before the song and album ends like it began with electronics. A killer album in my world that hits all the right buttons. All instrumental and this is the only record I own by this band, and that needs to change. 5 stars for this masterpiece.

Polish band LIGHT COORPORATION was formed sometime around 2007, and their stated aim from the onset was to blend progressive rock and avantgarde jazz, and incorporating multimedia contents for their live performances. They made their debut with "Rare Dialect" in 2011, a production that saw them attached to the UK label ReR Megacorp (owned by former members of Henry Cow). Three more albums by the band have appeared since then. "Chapter IV: Before the Murmur of Silence", the most recent of those, was also released by ReR Megacorp ? in 2014.

"Chapter IV: Before the Murmur of Silence" comes across as a production that operates out from a foundation of jazz fusion or avant-garde jazz first and foremost, flavoring this foundation with some rock music elements without leaving the feeling of this being primarily a jazz album behind. A CD that merits a check by those who tend to be intrigued by improvised instrumental jazz, incorporating elements from challenging rock, rather than the other way round.

Light Coorporation - typo intentional - is a band out of Poland that plays some wonderful avant garde fusion. There are plenty of times where it is smooth and normal, but the group has plenty of room for the jazz equivalent of breakdowns, plus all sorts of complexity and oddness. The band does lean heavily towards jazz rather than rock, but all is explored, and it works brilliantly. The listener is left to ride through calm sections of just off jazz, and more crazed and energetic sections that also really showcase their guitar. "Three Headed Monster Sight Unseen" is the best track, and really shows off their powerful, bonkers, rockier side to the fullest, with a bit of calm from time to time. Our sax and trumpet carry the day, but guitar is the best part when it shows up, played excellently and often distorted and played around with. It sometimes sounds like an oscillator! Bass is also wonderful, and vital. Above all spectacular music spectacularly played. This energetic avant fusion could stand alongside Etron Fou Leloublan any day. An experimental romp, highly recommended.

Yes, the band name is spelled correctly, but I am not sure if this was originally a mistake by the band (who are Polish, and therefore are not native English speakers), or if it is deliberate to get attention. Anyway, what we have here is a RIO/Avant garde outfit who are combining elements of improvised jazz with RIO to create something that is quite different. In many ways it is reflective, while also refusing to accept traditional boundaries so it can make it quite hard to listen to. There are twelve people involved in this recording, four of whom play saxophone, but although there are times when it has an almost big band feel there are others where it feels much more like a tight late Sixties rock act. But, just when one thinks that one is starting to get a handle in proceedings the music takes a complete left turn and goes off in another direction altogether.

These guys are wonderful musicians, and obviously all have a complete feeling for each other and an empathy for what is taking place, but I did find that there were times when I wasn't understanding what they were trying to achieve as much as they obviously did. The more I have played this the more I have come to believe that the shortcomings are probably with me as opposed to the band, but the end result is that I haven't enjoyed this nearly as much as I feel that I should have done. Although not as 'out there' as much of the music I listen to, this is still something that is going to take a great deal of work to be able to get the most benefit from it and I just don't have the time. Mind you, anyone who has song which is a tribute to Hugh Hopper deserve some attention. Not for those who just want something in the background, but definitely for those who want to challenge themselves. www.lightcoorporation.com

Polish band LIGHT COORPORATION was formed sometime around 2007, and aims to blend progressive rock and avant-garde jazz, featuring multimedia contents for live performances. They made their debut with "Rare Dialect" in 2011, a production that saw them attached to the UK label ReR Megacorp. "Aliens From Planet Earth" is their second full length album, and was released in the summer of 2012.

A taste for instrumental, improvised jazz appears to be a needed prerequisite to be able to enjoy Light Coorporation's second full length album "Aliens From Planet Earth". A production that otherwise sticks to a gentle, careful expression throughout but with a few instances of arrangements incorporating a select few dramatic surges to supplement the otherwise subtle instrument details used to maintain nerve and variation. An album rather introspective in nature and reaching out to a relatively narrow audience I suspect. Still, for the select few this is a disc that will be greatly appreciated.

Polish band LIGHT COORPORATION was formed sometime around 2007, and is an ensemble that aims to blend progressive rock and avantgarde jazz, adding a multimedia component for live purposes. They signed a distribution deal with ReR Megacorp in 2011 and have released two albums through them so far. "Rare Dialect" from 2011 is the first of these, as well as the band's debut album.

"Rare Dialect" is a high quality debut album from Light Coorporation. Taking their cues from freeform jazz, fusion and art rock, they have cooked up a highly enjoyable, innovative and fairly challenging musical stew. Open minded followers of sophisticated art rock, fusion and jazz alike should all find plenty to enjoy on this CD, a production that merits a check by those who feel they are a part of the outlined target audience.