RAINBRO

Inner Ear Brigade is a ayoung american prog band who just releases their first album named Rainbro not long ago at italian label Altrock. Very nice surprise this album , it sounds quite avant prog to me with some jazzy moments here and there, with some great moments like on opening track Knee, Oomp Pah , Missing the train or the longest track 25 Miles to Freedom with nice female vocals made by Melody Ferris with tenacious sax playing by Ivor Holloway combined with groovy guitar parts and great mellotron arrangements in the mix, very nice overall. Not a bad moment here, even the cover art is great so a winner to my ears, a new album that desearves attention. Similarities maybe at some point with Laser Pace and their excellent Granfaloon or Megan Quartet in places. 4 stars, fresh and exciting album.

COS and STEREOLAB comingled and recorded for the first time!

Just kidding. This album is, however, for our times, quite unusual. At first I thought it "cute" and "interesting" but as I've given it many more listens I hear so much of two of my favorite "recent" or rather late in life joy-bringing discoveries in Canterbury styled music (of which there is so little coming out in the 21st Century) and, more specifically, the music of the unique Belgian group, COS. Actually, if you took 1970s COS and 2000 STEREOLAB you would have INNER EAR BRIGADE. Vocalist Melody Ferris sounds stylistically a bit like Kitchen Thieves' AMY DARBY or Thinking Plague's ELAINE DI FALCO, though the PASCALE SON (COS) and LAETITIA SADIER (STEREOLAB) comparisons are unavoidable. And these guys are from West Coast USA! This is an album of pure joy and fun. Even the extended jazz grooves with their serious and accomplished horn play and solos are fun. The opener, "Knee," is such an ear catcher! Sounds a bit like an ELVIS COSTELLO song as it might be performed by STEREOLAB. "Oomph" has some KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND riffs and influence as well as feeling like some of FROGG CAFE's most CHICAGO-ishness. "Missing the Train" feels a lot like a song coming from the 1960s Brazilian-influenced period of U.S. pop jazz. "Rainbro," perhaps my least favorite song on the album, has more of a "bland" Stereolab feel to it--the melodies and chord changes are not quite as catchy as other songs--though I love the final 30 seconds. "Too Good to Be True" has some social-political commentary like that commonly found in Stereolab songs as well as some nice XTC-like jazz guitar sound/work. "Somnambulist Subversion" uses two long-out-dated instrumental effects: the cheesy synth and the ragged distortion strum of a punk-like guitar that begin the song. Once voice, horns and percussives, tuned and untuned, join in, the song takes on a more early Elvis Costello sound and feel. "Nutjob is an instrumental that begins in a tight Canterbury fashion: whole band chord staccato progression before settling down into a pleasant kind of jazz beat to support trade off solos from horns, Farfisa organ & crazy synths, distorted and jagged guitars, tuned percussives. "Forgotten Planet" is my favorite. It begins with flute and tight Stereolab-like rhythm bass with vocalist Melody Ferris's scatting Pascale Son (COS)-like. Wonderful Canterbury song! "Dirty Spoons" begins with an acoustic guitar playing an arpeggiated chord sequence that is just heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Bandleader Bill Wolter is gradually joined by the rhythm section, keyboards and horns--which take over the presentation of the melodies on this awesome instrumental. Parts have an almost Acid Jazz feel to it, only without the house downbeat. Another favorite. "25 Miles to Freedom" is notable for both its length (10:31) and its different jazz beat--like a kletzmer-meets-Philip-Glass or like the 1988 Pat Metheny-Steve Reich collaboration on "Different Trains." Melody Ferris's jazzy vocals aren't quite as warm or alluring on this one--and actually make it obvious that on this particular song it's the instrumental sections that are the standouts--like the violin, sax, and vibraphone trio in the seventh minute, or the STEELY DAN-like sax solo in minute number eight. My favorite songs in which Melody's voice shine are the wordless "Forgotten Planet," "Missing The Train," "Oompah," "Knee," and "Rainbro."

The more I listen to this album, in a variety of locations, the more I think that this is, in fact, a masterpiece of progressive rock music. (My favorite listening venue thus far has been in the car, uninterrupted highway driving.) This could be slightly tainted by the fact that the album gets better and better with each song, but could be also because I am so craving upbeat, happy prog--kind of like what we lost with the fadeout of the Canterbury Scene.

4.5 stars rated up for clean brilliant fun and for resurrecting the refreshing, jazzy, Canterbury sound.

3.5 stars. INNER EAR BRIGADE are a six piece band from Oakland, California who have released two studio albums so far. They are led by guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bill Wolter who composed the music here. "Rainbro" is one of the best album titles I've seen for a while, makes me laugh. This is their debut from 2012 and in my opinion slightly better than the followup "Dromology" from 2017.

If you add in the guests we get up to 15 performers on here, and a lot of variety when it comes to sounds. Avant works for sure and even the female vocals help with that as they come across in a similar style to Deborah Perry and Elaine Di Falco from THINKING PLAGUE. You know, that mono- toned style, but this girl here has a much sweeter voice and is not on their level. The music also just isn't on the level of THINKING PLAGUE, but then few bands are.

A real jazz vibe on here too with all the horns, and even canterbury at times. I just find this inconsistent but when they are "on" I am so impressed. The opener "Knee" is so catchy followed by "Oom Pah" where we get a disco/funk mix and yes it's terrible. If you like the first two tracks, you'll love this album. It's not until the third track "Missing The Train" where I'm nodding in approval, and the mellotron brings some much needed warmth. "Rainbro" is a great song with the mellotron and how about the chaotic and powerful instrumental sections.

Love the canterbury vibe on "Forgotten Planet", and the closer "25 Miles To Freedom" is the other highlight. This one is the longest at over 10 minutes. Not big on the viola late but overall an outstanding piece. Interesting that this final song has more then half the guests on. Not surprisingly my top four are the only ones with mellotron in them.

An entertaining record that is fun, playful and catchy, but it's not without it's complexities and challenges.