The Gang Font feat. Interloper: The Gang Font feat. Interloper

The repetition of certain sounds prevails in the process of reaching a trance-like mental state. Repetition in music is also crucial to the spine of rhythmic construction. The mergence of these two functions adds up to a strange mix of sound-making, not altogether punk rock nor jazz, on Thirsty Ear's The Gang Font feat. Interloper. The group is made up of guitarist Eric Fratzke, bass guitarist Greg Norton from Husker Du, keyboardist Craig Taborn, and drummer Dave King from The Bad Plus.

Electric guitars, keyboards, and drums vitalize this recording. They strike a balance that vacillates between high-end rock guitar riffs throughout to a deep, hard-driving rumble of the drums, as on "Let's Find a Place to Cool Down."

King composed six of the pieces, Fratzke, three, and the pair collaborated on one. No single cut is dominated by the instrument of the composer. Each musician has done well to invite the others in. The guitar chords and drums, though, are huge. A definite pulse penetrates the recording, the tempos of which only change slightly track-to- track. The guitars take care of all the details of the sound. They weave curtains of multi-colored layers. Fratzke appropriately demonstrates his attentions to guitar playing intricacies in "The Litigious Mike Love (Love, lead guitarist of The Beach Boys). The guitars often play chicken with the drums, endowing a persistent, invigorating dynamic to the entire recording.

The keyboards generally magnify the pulse, break up the repetitive guitar lick surface and become a bridge from one sound wall to the next, as on "A Chance to Play Across the Shadows." But the keyboards also take a lead in this same cut and dance across the sound surface for a change of pace, to soften the overall edginess of the guitar and drums. The keyboards are up front on "Herman Ze German Cassette ; Taborn describes the character of the music within an indisputable context.

The music on The Gang Font feat. Interloper comes on strong. Once on board with the way the heaviness unfolds, you are there for the duration. Captivated, you will find it difficult to un-tether yourself from its hold.