Member:
Pnoom
Date:
5/17/2008
Rating: B-
2008 has been a great year for jazz. Marco Benevento has released the fabulous Invisible Baby, and Ben Allison "answered" with the equally invigorating Little Things Run the World. The Wrong Object deserves a place on this list as well, as Stories from the Shed is a fiery klezmer-tinged jazz rock record that takes no prisoners. Right from the start, with the fabulous "Sonic Riot at the Palate", this combination French/Belgian quintet melds klezmer melodies with free jazz saxophone and a driving rock grooved, an explosive combination that shows the full potential of jazz-rock fusion. It's an explosive combination that yields one of the year's best opening songs to date.
It doesn't stop there. Stories from the Shed never again rocks quite as hard as on the opener, but that's no fault, as the jazzier numbers that dominate the rest of the album are far from dull. They are all imbued with the same energy as "Sonic Riot", but this energy manifests itself in different ways. And, while the driving energy may be what initially draws the listener in, it's the subtleties that ensure the listener never leaves. Take "15/05", for example, where a fairly standard (if very good) saxophone line plays over a fairly standard (if, again, very good) drum and bass groove. The song should be fairly standard (if very good, of course), but because of the keyboards throwing in a curveball or two, the song not only becomes less standard, but becomes much better for it.
It's the details like that that make Stories from the Shed such a refreshing release. Oh sure, there are some duller songs (such as "Sheepwrecked"), but even those are interesting enough to hold the listener's attention until the truly potent songs come in to lift up the record, showing just how much The Wrong Object is capable of achieving. They don't fully realize their potential here, but by honing their sound for future releases, they could drop a stunning album anytime.
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