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"The whole point of AlasNoZxis is less about broader technical displays and more about direct service to the song. On these relatively short compositions these players manage to navigate odd time signatures and a diversity of feels and textures that lean heavily towards the kinetic. This is music that demands attention and is best played loud." -ALL ABOUT JAZZ
In 2000, Jim Black recorded his debut AlasNoAxis. Since that time, he has consistently developed new grooves with the band AlasNoAxis, and toured the world extensively. At the end of last year, Jim Black and AlasNoAxis entered the wonderful Brooklyn Recording studio to record their new aural journey, Dogs of Great Indifference.
Customer Review: Music of Great Distinction
Bobby Previte meets the Claudia Quintet, with a little Samuel Barber (huh?!--but it's there, trust me) thrown in, a dash of Medicine Wheel, some Junk Genius, and who knows what else (Frisell? Slow Poke? Eyvind Kang/Tucker Martine? Jon Hassell? Fantomas? Groundtruther? Jim O'Rourke?). I don't know. All I know for sure is this is it. Alasnoaxis's (or is it, in truth, "Alas, no access"--a kind of poignant Postmodern lament?) fourth disc, Dogs of Great Indifference launches the group into the stratosphere. All that experimentation, grinding touring, groping for access and just the right sound/musical approach/tonal landscape has paid off. Big time. What we've got here is anthemic ambient drone jazz rock experimental noise industrial music that defies categorization even as it extends the possibilities of musical creation beyond the sonic event horizon. Buy it for its wild creativity, for its sick soundscape, for its zany cross-genre smartness, for its moments of crystalline beauty, for its deconstruction, havoc-wreaking irreverence (but always with retrieval, it must be noted), for the full coming into flower of Jim Black's crazy musical vision, for Hilmar Jensson's guitar freak-outs, for Skuli Sverrisson's mad bass conceptions, for Chris Speed's greatest playing (sounding a lot like the great Peter Epstein) on disc, and for the leader's smart drumming. But do buy it. If you miss this one, you lose the game of pretzel.


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