IN THE FISHTANK 6

In the Fishtank is comprised of a series of EPs that were produced by independent music distributor Konkurrent from the Netherlands. These EPs were each done by different bands that were invited to participate. The bands would record original music for these EPs and were given 2 days worth of studio time to come up with the material for each EP. Most of the EPs were either recorded by one or two individual bands. Some of the bands that were invited to participate in the project were "Tortoise", "Sonic Youth", "June of 44", "Motorpsycho", "Jaga Jazzist" and "Isis" among many others.

"In the Fishtank #6" consists of 6 tracks by the very versatile math rock band "June of 44". Even though June of 44 is not a well-known band in the archives, they are nevertheless quite well-revered. They were a collective from 1994 to 2000, lived in different cities and made music that overall was considered post/math rock, but created music that was quite experimental and delved into jazz and ambient dub music. They have been compared to "Tortoise", "Slint" and Will Oldham. One thing for certain, they are definitely an under-appreciated band, and this "In the Fishtank" album proves it.

Pregenerate - Fades in slowly with an ambient drone and shimmering guitars that become more distinct and heavy as it flows along. After a few minutes, the sound gets less noisy before the throbbing percussion comes in bringing in groaning feedback from the guitars.

Generate - The previous track ends with weird warbly effects which flows into this track which begins with a more direct beat and off-kilter funk. Airy vocals begin giving it a verse/chorus structure which makes it a bit more accessible, but by no means in a easy-listening way. The funky bass and guitar capitalize on the steady beat at first, but this soon starts to dissemble when it slows down getting a bit dreamy, but then speeds back to its original tempo and the vocals begin again. This is the only track with vocals, by the way.

Henry's Revenge - A nice, laid-back pattern is established and headed over by a mellow guitar melodic line. There is a cool organ playing softly behind it all that gives it a somewhat psychedelic feel. The electronic beat effects also add to the dreaminess of this track, but throw things off a bit to make it all just a tad uncomfortable and the sudden ending is a bit unsettling, but effective.

Modern Hereditary Dance Steps - This one goes for a heavy and uptempo style, but the guitars and effects give it all a unique feel. Repeated noises and effects swirl around the heavy guitar and the rhythm varies a bit and then finally settle in to a strong, loud and heavy groove. This is a cool mix of space and math rock styles that should appeal to listeners of both genres.

Every Free Day a Good Day - Begins with an interesting, off-kilter beat and a great bass line which drives it forward, though a bit haphazardly, which in this case, is a good thing. Wailing and whining guitars weave around the rhythm section making this quite the experimental-psycho-funk track.

Degenerate - Finally we are at the last of the loosely-joined "Generate" trio of songs and also the last track of the EP. It begins quite ambient with shimmery guitars again, but a rolling drum pattern comes in and pushes the echoing guitars forward. A nice bass line comes in later to help ground the entire thing as great guitar effects take the center stage of it all, even so much as to help accent the rhythm, but also to provide the psychedelic element to the track.

This is actually quite an enjoyable EP and one that you wish was longer. The tracks are all based around the math rock style, but there are so many elements of other styles that it is often hard to pick that out. It is experimental, but also strives to push for a degree of accessibility, which I think it pulls off quite well. There is plenty of variety here, even if all of the tracks except one are all instrumental. This "In the Fishtank" project had a way of pushing artists to see how inventive they could be in a short amount of time and June of 44 definitely proved that they could make some excellent music when under the pressure to do it in a short time period. It's also a good way for a listener to be introduced to bands without having to invest a lot of time or money. This one is highly recommended.