I've recently come to the realization that any assiduous reader of Douglas Adams will confirm: all things are connected. Reading our review of Mike Patton's latest effort spun me into a nostalgic craze, forcing me to bask all day in the man's best musical pieces, one after the other. For the first time in several months, I found myself literally bathing in Avant-Rock music. It's in this atypical setup that I was presented with my next assignment:The Atomic Bomb Audition's Eleven Theatres. Happy coincidence? Nay, merely the proof that any event is part of a gigantic network of causes and consequences.
Outside of jazz, and even within it in the opinion of a few severe minds, the word "fusion," when related to music, is tainted with a negative mark. For that reason, I won't use it to describe the fantastic genre-blending ABA fashions. The magnitude of the crossover here is nothing short of overwhelming, and goes even further than what the famed acts of the genre: along with the usual taste of metal, hardcore, psychedelica, post-rocky atmospheres and various sampling techniques, one finds here surf guitar reminiscent of Dick Dale, the feel of old spaghetti western soundtracks, tightly crafted pop structures, and even thoughtful ambient passages.
When it comes to the process of writing music, having too much freedom has historically proved to have lethal tendencies, creating incomprehension, hermetic niches, and in the worst cases, extremely bad material. This is where ABA separates itself from the never ending waves of new artists in the realm of avant-garde; they show accurate and scrupulous songwriting skills. Every single heavy riff hits home, every beat change is on point, and every dissonant note is controlled. From the engaging drum breaks to the fast-strumming guitars, each instrument flows perfectly with one another, giving a strong taste of melody and harmony to a genre that came to lack them too often.
Such synergy asks for production of epic proportions. No matter how good the musicians are together, it takes an accomplished producer to give their performance a fair result once on record. The Atomic Bomb Audition found theirs in Norman Teale, who now also participates in the band's live show. I can't emphasize this enough; the production on Eleven Theatres is close to perfection. Each instrument is prominent exactly when it needs to be, every single measure of the record is treated as a highlight, given the exact balance it asks for, in the most efficient way possible. The only reproach that could be made lies in the tracklisting, as the second half of the record seems a bit weaker than the first. And even that is being picky.
ABA achieved a work of art; all the while respecting the touch of craziness avant-garde listeners ask for. This album is one to be played loud, and constantly. What strikes me the most is the maturity they show at such an early stage in their career; I had to offer countless reminders to myself that this is their first effort. With a second album on the way that seems to match the performance of Eleven Theatres, The Atomic Bomb Audition have the skills to establish themselves as leaders of this scene if they play their cards right.
-Samy Bennaoui