THREE TRAPPED TIGERS

Not neccesarily being a virtuoso with your instrument makes you a music composer, less a notable one & even less a groundbreaking one.

Yes, this UK trio can raise hell with their performing skill, speed and precision but at the end of the day it all seems like a fireworks display, a good one, but a display which could easily be replaced by another one and another one and another one.

There is a label I use for this kind of releases "music for performers" like a good way to pump your performing abilities by listening and recreating a difficult music score but as sole listener there are so many options of hyper-talented performers who also deliver (sometimes difficult & sometimes not) outstanding scores and the full package seems way far more appetizing than just half of it, if an example is needed the colored King speaks for himself.

So, to speak no more evil, I will certainly point out that this release (their first, as it seems) by Three Trapped Tigers: Route One or Die (2011), an 8 track (vocal less) album, covers all the performace protocols required to be inducted in these Progressive Rock Music archives which is like a very honorable passing grade. Now I hope they start delivering memorable music not just very good or even excellent performances.

As far as rating it, I´m tempted to go for 3 stars, but deep down inside it will be like a disservice to much more better music composition 3 stars albums I have already rated.

**/*

Three Trapped Tigers are three guys from London who first got together in 2007, and have released this album and another album, Silent Earthling, which I have not heard yet. But here's the reason why I haven't- this album is a whopper. What other album can you think of that mixes noise rock, post rock, math rock, IDM, and ambient? And to be honest, I am not certain if this album is any of those genres. It sounds like they all had sex, sure, but its offspring is a beautifully mutated beast who resembles all of the species of music I just listed. And this mutant is raucous. Not the sort of raucous that kills people, but the amiable sort of raucous, the sort that makes you want to hum loudly along, like you're listening to a goddamn national anthem that got addicted to caffeine. I highly recommend this album, and remember- this is a trio.

"TTT is at the cutting edge of contemporary music. Watch your fingers!" - Brian Eno. That was on the sticker to my copy of this album. I had no idea Eno was even aware of this UK trio. This is their second album and an improvement over the debut. They are one of the bands who can be classified both as 'post-rock' and 'math rock'. The debut was more 'math' but this one is more 'post'. With the exception of a tiny bit of wordless vocals, these guys are instrumental. They play a form of electronic rock which contains elements of post, math, techno, symph prog and fusion. A little bit of guitar but mostly keyboards; there is a real drunkit but also programmed drumming and/or electronic drums as well. All the basslines are done on synth.

The title track starts the album off with ringing, bell-like sounds. Then some syncopated, almost random sounding drumming. I love the electric piano melodies in this track. The pace picks up and the music sounds like a combination of symph prog and techno before it goes into laid-back 'post-rock' territory. "Strebek" starts out with an almost punk-like riff on synth. That riff becomes more spacey and 'math' sounding. Lots of electronic percussion in this track. "Kraken" rocks hard! Such a menacing riff on synth backed by call-and-response on more synths. Gets into some guitar/synth unison playing while the drumming gets more chaotic and complex.

"Blimp" begins with that kind of tropical island vibe that some post/math bands get into. Hard to describe but the music is very 'happy' and uplifting. Gets more 'math rock' sounding as it goes along. Nice guitar and/or synth soloing. "Engrams" has the official video for the album. Not my fave but it is a highlight. Generally feels like a cross between symph prog and techno. The track morphs and changes, eventually getting to what one could call 'math rock' or 'post-rock'. "Tekkers" is based around an awesome groove but repeated listens reveal a lot of compositional complexity. This also has some of the best melodies on the album. "Hemisphere" is very electronic sounding; even the drumming is programmed or played on electronic drums. Electronic as it is, the music is very melodic and symphonic.

"Rainbow Road" starts out synth-punk, Then gets synth-fusion. The music proceeds to get more varied and dynamic. "Elsewhere" may be the most stereotypical 'prog' sounding track. Lots of percussion here (mainly cymbals but they could be programmed on synth). Great closer to a great album. This is my Album Of The Year so far. Highly recommended to fans of Battles, Tortoise and Zombi. I will give this a 4.5 but round it down to 4 stars. I might think this is a masterpiece in five years but not quite yet.

Three Trapped Tigers are an instrumental trio from London, England. This is their first full-length album although they have released EPs previous to this. They have been referred to as everything from 'dream pop' to 'noise rock'. On this album they combine math rock, post rock and IDM. The keyboards are usually more important than the guitar. Even most of the basslines are done on synth I think. They make a lot of use of the 'arpeggiater' setting on synthesizers. Basically, you play some notes and the synth repeats them, depending on the setting they could be exactly what you played or in a random order. The way the arpeggiater is used here mimics the way guitars are played in a lot of math rock (tapping, etc.).

"Cramm" opens the album with drums that sound like they are made out of metal and a guitar imitating a folky fiddle. Eventually goes into a rockin' disjointed groove. Then you get the first taste of the great arpeggiater chords. In the middle just guitar for awhile before the whole band comes back rockin' hard. Sounds like programmed drums at the beginning of "Noise Trade" with some minor keys on electric piano and guitar. Stays low-key until everything gets louder and more distorted later. Mix of programmed drumming with distorted guitar and symphonic synths towards the end. "Creepies" begins with more complex drumming than the first two songs (along with guitar sounds like feedback). Goes into an intense horror-movie like vibe before turning into some kind of noise-reggae. A truly whacked out guitar solo before some awesome synth bass brings back the crazy drumming which sounds partly electronic. Rocks out at the end.

"Ulnastricter" is one of the standout tracks. Love the echoed electronic percussion at the beginning. The song starts out based on an IDM-style minor key melody. Love the call-and-response between the synth and guitar at one point; the guitar then just goes on its own, almost soloing. The track builds up and gets more post-rock sounding, eventually getting more math rock sounding. Returns to the original minor key melody at the end with crazy math rock guitar soloing over top. "Zil" is the most mellow and ambient track while next song "Drebin" is the noisiest and most math rockish. While the previous two songs sounded like IDM and math rock, respectively, "Magne" sounds like post-rock. Specifically a mix of Tortoise and Mogwai. This song has a great flow to it.

"Reset" is another highlight which has a great humourous and weird video for it. Opens with hypnotic arpeggiater followed by a sinister sounding arpeggiater. The bass drum is steady thumping away. The vibe this creates is just intense. Later things mellow out with some post rock style guitar and piano...all while the bass drum is still thumping away. Changes to a part with some single guitar chords and some intricate African-styled drumming. A synth vaguely solos over top. This builds up to some steady strumming from guitar as the drummer proceeds to go apesh*t as some wonderful "ahh" vocals float over top.

What a fantastic ending to such a great album! Route One Or Die is a great modern album (there is also a remix[yea, that kind of remix] version of the album as well). Great sound and production along with some great compositions and performances. The arpeggiater use is great, making the music sometimes sound like Animal Collective on acid. Recommended to both post-rock fans and math rock fans who also enjoy a lot of electronics. 4 stars.