Fire Shepherds [ECD]

There's a melancholy on Fire Shepherds that won't be lost on the fans of Tortoise's epic TNT and Telefon Tel Aviv's catalog. But that's where the comparisons to those esteemed groups stop and Loka begin to turn heads as a wonderfully executed hybrid between chillout electronic music, fusion, and prog rock. Lead masterminds Karl Webb and Mark Kyriacou play a wide variety of instruments as well as manning the production board for the album's sweet sound, complete with dramatic string arrangements falling somewhere between a '70s spy movie and Charles Stepney. The compositions are long but wonderfully arranged, and change enough to make for engaging listening without getting stale. And while the album is solid from start to finish, the album's two-part closer, "Tabernacle," alone makes it worth the price of admission. A wonderfully electronic jazz-inflected epic that rivals some of the best moments of 4hero and Innerzone Orchestra's Programmed, the finale leaves a lingering feeling of wanting more. And that is no small feat to accomplish in a market where chillout records are a dime a dozen. ~ Rob Theakston|

There's a melancholy on Fire Shepherds that won't be lost on the fans of Tortoise's epic TNT and Telefon Tel Aviv's catalog. But that's where the comparisons to those esteemed groups stop and Loka begin to turn heads as a wonderfully executed hybrid between chillout electronic music, fusion, and prog rock. Lead masterminds Karl Webb and Mark Kyriacou play a wide variety of instruments as well as manning the production board for the album's sweet sound, complete with dramatic string arrangements falling somewhere between a '70s spy movie and Charles Stepney. The compositions are long but wonderfully arranged, and change enough to make for engaging listening without getting stale. And while the album is solid from start to finish, the album's two-part closer, "Tabernacle," alone makes it worth the price of admission. A wonderfully electronic jazz-inflected epic that rivals some of the best moments of 4hero and Innerzone Orchestra's Programmed, the finale leaves a lingering feeling of wanting more. And that is no small feat to accomplish in a market where chillout records are a dime a dozen. ~ Rob Theakston

スカルペルやジャガ・ジャジスト、ドゥワイト・トリブルなど、昨今は〈ジャズ・アクト〉がニンジャ・チューンのブランド・カラーを刷新しているようだが、スーパー・ヌメリの一員でもあるカール・ウェッブとマーク・キリヤコウから成るリヴァプールのデュオ、ロカもそのひとつだ。2000年のコンピ『Xen Cuts』に初見参し、2003年にシングル“Beginningless”を挿んでやっと登場したこのファースト・アルバムは、60年代のジャズ精神をパーカッシヴなリズム・トラックと情熱的なインプロヴィゼーションで表現しようとした意欲作。アブストラクトな音像の向こうにスピリチュアルな展開が口を開けて待っている“Tabernacle”など全曲を貫徹する密度の濃さに、聴き終えたら肩で息をしてしまいそう。本来のジャズが雰囲気作りのツールじゃなく、不良性を漂わせたダンス・ミュージックだったことを教えてくれるかのようだ。
bounce (C)高橋 玲子