FAKE JOKES

Sometimes, very rarely, progressive music is pure fun. F-U-N. Fun. I know that is a foreign concept to our ultra-serious love, but Carpadium has managed to make a seriously fun instrumental album that doesn't take itself so seriously. The guys are following up their excellent debut album from 2012 with "Fake Jokes", an album that is much different. Gone is the singer, and gone are the attempts at prog rock as a 70's thing. This time around, too, the band seems incredibly focused and directed in their composition.

Carpadium's foundation, for both of their albums, is math rock. It's there all the time with hefty bass and sharp turns in signature. This time, however, the band (Ryan Bell on guitar, Andrew Mankin on drums, and Jonathan Ward on bass) has layered it with what they pointed out as noise rock. That name didn't excite me at all, but I must say that I rather enjoy it. Along with the active bass, the band has created a sound full of guitar meanderings and oddities, and also a drum performance that absolutely solidifies everything. One of the only other bands that could possibly fit this description is The Fierce & the Dead. Those that know them will understand the personality and incredible fingerwork that is involved, and Carpadium has produced something in that vein.

And, yet, I feel that the band has matured in their composition skills. "Books", for example, includes a mathy feel, but it also includes an awesome guitar break that feels so simple and so right. "Fletcher's Dance" is essentially a short interlude with bass work that shines. Other tracks feature heavily on the noise rock, such as "Premium Bananas" with its playful guitar work. My favorites, then, are "Books" with its eclectic brilliance and "Living in the Little Rock" with its proggier guitar vibe. Never boring and never losing steam and containing absolutely no filler, "Fake Jokes" is certainly another winner from Carpadium.

At only a half hour long, "Fake Jokes" doesn't waste time. It's a concise work that refuses to wear out its welcome. It flies by at a blistering pace, and you will definitely miss it. Full of bright, picturesque song titles and instrument tones, this is an album that instrumental prog fans will surely cherish. Feisty and in some ways immature (in a good way), this is the most "fun" I've had in prog this year.