Somebody's knocked the cymbal off Jordan Young's drum kit – at least for the photo on the cover – but that doesn't stop him from swinging wonderfully throughout – leading a tight quartet through a wicked set of Hammond-heavy groovers! Brian Charette's on organ – playing with this bold, chunky style that's loaded with soul right from the start – and the kind of blocked-out lines that we love in early work from Charles Earland – all to make a perfect groove from the group which also includes Avi Rothbard on guitar and Joe Sucato on tenor. The lack of bass is more than made up for by Charette's bottom sounds on the Hammond – and titles include "Free Wheelin", "Ghost Of A Chance", "Roxanne", "Grantstand", "Easy Living", "Bird Bath", and "Mood For McCann". ~ Dusty Groove
A contemporary take on the sounds of mid-Century – a very cool batch of tracks that leans heavily on 50s exotica, 60s electronica, and lots of other odd bits – all filtered together in cool production with a really playful feel! The set's somewhere between some of the older retro sounds on the Irma La Douce label, and some of the colder work in recent years by groups who've been inspired by Italian crime and horror soundtracks – although Akron's work is a bit warmer overall. Titles include "Rabbits In Orbit", "A Glimpse Of Hell", "Frog War Chant", "Robot Grind", "Memory Hole", and "Picabu". ~ Dusty Groove
The "string" here is a reference to the album's strong use of violin, viola, cello, and bass – a surprisingly wonderful setting for the sharp-edged alto lines of leader Fredrik Nordstrom! The album's one of the most compelling so far from Fred – and that's saying a lot, because we've already loved his other records – a date that has Nordstrom sounding even more fluid and angularly inventive than ever – yet juxtaposed against a quintet that features drums and the four other stringed instruments mentioned above. Titles include "Toy Music", "Birki", "What Now", "Gunter's", "Doghouse", "Stinko", and "Sorti". Bass is particularly nice – held down by Torbjorn Zetterberg, in that wonderfully rich manner that makes his contribution to any record an instant plus in our book – and which here provides a bottom sound that allows for even more interplay between the strings. ~ Dusty Groove
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