Acoustic Ladyland: Living With a Tiger
Acoustic Ladyland: Living With a Tiger
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Tuesday, 07, Jul 2009 11:22
Strong and Wrong Records, July 6th.
In a nutshell...
Eccentric, warped, jubilant, triumphant and mesmeric.
What's it all about?
A claim to be London's preeminent jazz/punk band may be met with derision in some quarters - until, that is, you hear the work of Acoustic Ladyland. Their brand of taught, energetic jazz has taken the city by storm - recognised by such luminaries as Ornette Coleman who asked them to play at the recent Meltdown Festival on the South Bank.
Now on their fourth album - following debut Camouflage in 2004 and subsequent Last Chance Disco and Skinny Grin - the group appears poised on the verge of wider exposure - bringing to the mainstream a secret the insular jazz world has long cherished.
Who's it by?
Acoustic Ladyland are comprised of Pete Wareham on vocals, tenor and baritone saxophone - the group's defacto front man - Seb Rochford on drums, Chris Sharkey on guitar and Ruth Goller on bass guitar. Closer to a traditional jazz set up, records and live shows are a democratic process with each star in the constellation given a chance to shine.
That said, the Acoustic Ladyland sound is akin to a rock group, with discernable choruses, repeated refrains and consequently the group is accessible to those not traditional enamored with the sometimes self-righteous world of jazz. Their inclusive, exuberant lives shows are also not to be missed.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Nil. While the group has been successful in mixing jazz and rock during their tenure - moving away from the former and closer to the latter on this release - they are unlikely to be palatable by larger number of listeners.
While Wareham and his saxophone provide a wonderful central tenet of the Acoustic Ladyland sound, the lack of a fulltime vocals can sometimes allow the dilettante listener's mind to wander and those interested in either a straight rock or intricate jazz fix may find themselves lost somewhere in the middle.
What the others say
"The best way to approach Living With A Tiger, then, is as a rock album, albeit one informed by jazz. Wareham's blazing alto and tenor leads erupt with a blazing ferocity, mostly staking around ground right up in the higher registers, but for an occasional spitfire plummet directly down." - Louis Pattison, BBC Music
"Ladyland's fourth album announces its departure from anything like straight jazz with ten tight tracks that blister with a wild sound reminiscent of 80s American alternative acts such as Romeo Void, Morphine and the Lounge Lizards." - Miles Fielder, The List
So is it any good?
Exceedingly good; bright and informed, Acoustic Ladyland offer a warped version of simplified jazz - just intricate enough to separate them from their contemporaries but propulsive and brutish enough to draw in fans of punk and even metal. This group has more in common with John Zorn or Mike Patton than Miles Davis or their benefactor Ornette Coleman.
The way the foursome lock together - particularly with new basest Goller marshalling the low-end is awesome on the live stage and the clean, sharp reproduction on Living with a Tiger more than does the group justice. Glasto and Gratitude are immediate and accessible, while also rewarding repeated spins and the album as a whole rarely loses focus - giving over to meandering indulgence as jazz can be want to do.
A real offbeat treat!
7.5/10
Chris O'Toole