Jazz Articles
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XL: Visual
by Anthony Shaw
Orchestral rock has come a long way since Keith Emerson and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and one of the bands which keeps pushing the genre forward is Helsinki's XL. Over the past eight years the group has released four CDs, including one live cutting. The latest offering features more celestial anthems and coruscating choruses, as well as intentions to spread beyond the cognoscenti of Scandinavia.
Track titles range across the post-industrial horizon, reflecting the styles lurking behind the ...
Continue ReadingXL: Surreal
by Matthew Wuethrich
A refreshing musical breeze has blown in from the north, characterized by strong melodies, subtle electronica, and unashamed love for grandiose themes and arrangements. Finland's XL has been developing for 10 years and on their latest release Surreal they make an intrepid statement. In a musical era obsessed with introspective abstraction, XL prefers exuberance and clarity. XL creates bold 21st century fusion, carrying on the broad-minded tradition established by 70s fusion giant Weather Report.
Like Weather report, XL ...
Continue ReadingXL: Jukola
by Scott Andrews
A four piece band from Finland, XL's second album Jukola showcases a breathtaking depth of sonic collage in eleven songs of melodic, instrumental rock. Jukola mixes throbbing dance beats with rock and jazz passages, spacey ambient sections with driving rock riffs, live instruments with electronics and processing, all framed in eccentric arrangements with dynamics that range from whisper quiet to rock clamor.
Jukola sounds immaculate, with sonic textures ranging from traditional guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards, to electronic percussion, effects, ...
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