Artist: MiRthkon
Label: Altrock
Release: 2009
Rating: 4.2/5
miRthkon are an Oakland band that’s been around for years. They’re led by guitarist and keyboardist Wally Scharold. Vehicle is the band’s first proper album, though judging by the music, you’d never guess it. True, before this first studio CD they also put out an EP and a couple of unofficial releases, where they’d already shown what they can do.
As far as style and lyrics go, I think they were heavily influenced by Frank Zappa. They took his approach to music and enriched it with their own stamp. Their style weaves together genres like metal, jazz, avant-garde and rock, and throws other stuff into the mix too. The music is pretty heavy at times and occasionally even recalls Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (Dan Rathbun is responsible for the mix on the album, so the connection definitely exists). You could also say it’s metal with jazz woodwinds, so not exactly jazz-rock but let’s call it jazz-metal, which strikes me as relatively fresh and interesting.
The album is very guitar-driven. Both guitarists show off plenty, but it’s not just a display of muscle. The guitars stand out because they’re so metal, but the woodwinds are up front too. They remind me of acts like Gentle Giant, French TV, Picchio dal Pozzo, Zappa, Van Der Graaf Generator, Henry Cow, etc. They’re very jazzy and sound downright upbeat.
The album is mostly instrumental, and given what these guys can do, that makes sense. There are vocal parts, but they’re very rare. Clearly the vocals aren’t the main event here. They’re used in a playful way and sound a lot like Zappa, and at times like Gentle Giant too.
Vehicle is a superb album. It’s fun, but it’s not cheap fun. The compositions are smart, and so are the lyrics. It’s an inventive combination of metal riffs and jazz woodwinds. Fans of Zappa, Henry Cow and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum will most likely dig this one too. The band has created a truly new sound, and I hope they stick around on the music scene for a long time.
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miRthkon is an Oakland based band who has now been around for a number of years. It’s led by guitarist and keyboard player Wally Scharold. Vehicle is the band’s first album, although judging by the music, you wouldn’t think so. It’s also true that previous to this full-length CD, miRthkon have released an EP and some unofficial material, which also received an enthusiastic reception.
I think the band owes a lot to Frank Zappa when it comes to their style and lyrics (sense of humour). They seemed to have taken his musical aesthetic and put their own stamp on it. Their style fuses such things as metal, jazz, avant-garde, rock and other elements as well. The music is very heavy at times, reminiscent even of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (Dan Rathbun mixed the album, so there is a connection to that band). One could almost say that this is metal with jazz woodwinds, not jazz-rock but something like jazz-metal, which to me sounds fairly new and very mouth-watering.
The album is very guitar-oriented. We can hear great playing from the two guitarists, but it’s never about guitar heroics. The guitars are so noticeable because of the heavy style, but the woodwinds are in the foreground as well. They remind me of such artists as Gentle Giant, French TV, Picchio dal Pozzo, Zappa, Van Der Graaf Generator, Henry Cow, etc. They are very jazzy and have a feel-good quality about them.
The album is mostly instrumental and with qualities like miRthkon have, this is understandable. There are vocals, however they are scarce. It’s clear that the vocals aren’t really their main objective here. They’re used in a humorous way, sounding very much like Zappa and even Gentle Giant at times.
This is a great album. It’s fun, but it doesn’t bring cheap laughs. The music and lyrics are intelligent and well though-out. An inventive combination of metal riffs with a backdrop of jazz woodwinds. Fans of Zappa, Henry Cow and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum will love this. A truly new sound from a band that will hopefully be around for a long time. Their name just about says it all. On the surface they exhibit mirth, but if you delve deeper there’s a lot of menace hidden underneath it as well and you know that it’s only an illusion of mirth. So, a band that can be listened to on several levels and enjoyed on just as many.
Line-up
Wally Scharold – guitars, keyboards, vocals
Rob Pumpelly – guitars
Nat Hawkes – bass, vocals
Carolyn Walter – woodwinds
Jamison Smeltz – woodwinds, vocals
Matt Guggemos – drums and percussion
Production
Wally Scharold
Track list
1. Congratulations
2. Flashbulb of Orgasm
3. Banana
4. Automaton
5. Zhagunk
6. Kharms Way
7. Daddylonglegz
8. Coven of Coyotes
9. Johnny Yen
10. Bappscliophuaega
11. Trishna
12. Honey Key Jamboree
13. The Black Fruit
14. Camelopardalis
