Cancel/Sing

CMJ (3/4/02, p.10) - "...distanced itself from the trappings of the once-nascent emo scene...[to] incorporate implicit jazz influences into its well-trained and flawlessly presented stlye..."

On Cancel/Sing, the first few notes of Jeff Goddard's bass are reminiscent of the opening measures of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit," but after only a few more measures the whole of the recording opens up into something more complete and without any predictability. The polyphonic counterpoint between the bass and the guitar is excellent. The minimalist interplay between these two instruments creates a subtle beauty that is as refreshing as the first day of spring. The ensemble is tight with a simple voice/bass/drums/guitar lineup. The guitar runs the long line through most of the recording with its jazz chord pinnings and Joe Pass' elegance. The recording really begins to heat up when Geoff Farina, the guitarist for the group, starts in on his vocal work. Farina's vocals are emotionally raw and convey a sense of poetic urgency that pulls the listener toward the recording. His voice is the final contrapuntal idea in the sonic tapestry. When he sings all of the individual elements of the recording come together. When his voice comes in, the music shifts from being a rather traditional Chicago or D.C.-esque instrumental sound to something quite a bit more interesting and certainly more original. Karate's Cancel/Sing contains two tracks, and with it clocking in at only about 26 minutes it certainly leaves listeners thirsty for much more. Though the press surrounding this release made many allusions to jazz, and there's certainly a jazzy sound to this recording, it nods to a true post-rock something that embodies going beyond rock and everything that it has been. You can do no better than to hear this excellent recording. Find it any way you can; it's different, and it may take you a moment to catch on, but it's well worth it. Excellent. ~ Matt Borghi