[rating=5.00]
Sans loops, laptops, and samplers, STS9 hit the stage in Denver, CO this past December and made music using just the basics – fingers, wood, wire, sticks, and keys – doing it live, without a net. The results are documented on STS9’s latest release, Axe The Cables. And they are nothing short of pure pleasure.
Just as the Sound Tribers have earned reputations as accomplished space commanders in the field of voltage-fueled electronica, Axe The Cables showcases their abilities as stripped-to-the-basics musicians while doing some serious improvisational formation flying. And while there are moments of individual brilliance on the part of each band member, the true star of Axe is the collective whole and the group’s ability to zig, zag, glide, swoop, and dip with nothing to hide. Not only is the sound free of gadgets, it’s beautifully recorded, as well. Fingertips on the head of a drum are just as well-enunciated in the background as they are when they dance to the forefront; every breath of the grand piano and vibes is captured, no matter how light; the bass supports your backside with everything from gentle swoops to tar pit thumps; and the acoustic guitars are pure and free of the over-processed quacks that often haunt such settings.
The pleasure begins with the opener, “New Soma”: crisply-strummed guitar against a slightly Latin-flavored drum beat and a simple, understated bass line with thick, colorful vines of vibes woven through to establish the main theme. There’s a pause, a drift with light threads of guitar against a waterfall of acoustic piano with the bass getting more adventurous and the drum setting up an undercurrent of tension … building … building … until – wham – a majestic flat-picked guitar line surges to the front, echoed by the bass. A breath – a pause – the wave recedes and begins another slow build, the piano and vibes playing it cool and letting the bass and drum push the pulse along from down below until the guitar breaks loose once again, soaring arm-in-arm with the bass. The final touchdown is gentle; the afterglow is warm … and that’s just the first 5 minutes and 26 seconds.
Elsewhere, "7 Glen Tells Kengo" lets the yin/yang of its major/minor theme slow dance gracefully; "South of Here" masquerades as smooth jazz until a lump-in-the-throat piano cascade washes away all such thoughts, depositing you gently on the banks of some deep-woods stream; "Kamuy" hits the floor striking disco poses beneath the mirror ball for a moment or two, then gives way to wild-ass and fiery hand percussion that propels it to other places. There is no shortage of moods and themes – and STS9 (being responsible musical space commanders) never forget to bring you back to solid footing before making their next leap.
It’s all good, boys and girls. And there’s two discs’ worth to enjoy.
In 1981, the Grateful Dead released Reckoning, a live collection that demonstrated their ability to do what they did so well in an acoustic setting. The proof was in the pudding: true magic needs no extension cords.
Axe The Cables is STS9’s Reckoning.
