THE SLIP - ALIVELECTRIC
The ten tracks which form the newest offering from the once-local Providence (now Boston based) jazz-jam-fusion band called The Slip are culled from recent live, electric musical performances. The band has meshed recent forays into loop-driven, understated creative territory which is inflected by well seasoned and exquisitely nuanced shades of electronica, avant-garde jazz, and soulful pop. The result is a stunningly intimate portrait of the unique artistry which The Slip is capable of producing on any given night. They are a hard working touring band comprised of elder brother and guitarist Brad Barr, Andrew Barr on percussion, and Marc Friedman on bass. Additional music personnel on the album round out this well conceived live recording, which boasts a beautifully designed cover and sleeve, which artfully understates the passion driven depths this recording contains and firmly controls. The Slip is not an obvious band. Not an easy band to catch (on many different levels). They stay true to their name, they are slippery, but they also slide you into a higher vibration. Really sometimes music can be such a slip of a thing, too, and their respect for the fragile intensity of a purely shared moment, for the rigorously dedicated improvisatory trip, and all who embark upon it, is truly a thing of grace. �Alivelectric� is the product of experienced musicians who use the human experience of melody and tone, rhythm and texture to articulate highly liminal states of artistry. The roots come from jazz and the freedom to play which jazz provides, but the surface is all space-pop, at times, with shimmering loops forming crystalline structures which expand and collapse like fractals. There is less of an obvious Wrld-Beat[sic] rhythmic emphasis on this release, and a deeper relation with the expression of native cadence, which comes clothed in The Slip�s own recent interests, which include varying strands of Grateful Dead like �Space� improvisations which suddenly gain coherence and vigor, only to melt back into the freedom of the free form wave. The ballad �If One Of Us Should Fall�, taken from a performance in Martha�s Vineyard, is a great example of what The Slip are capable of when the harmony between performance and composition yields terrain both for exploration and sustained clarity of form. Singer Brad Barr�s carefully expressed tone during the chorus is contrasted sharply to his emotionally charged, chaotic yet controlled tone during the warm outpourings of the song�s tender plea. His lyrics speak of clinging onto certain things too tightly, with his hands, and the listener is left with a feeling of those very hands consciously shaping the pathways connecting speaker and listener, mind, body and muse. Ultimately, the fact this is the one song on the album with lyrics, describes a band whose words are precious, very charged with intention, and therefore utterly authentic. Marc Friedman�s bass playing is eclectic, mixing varying influences and quite often exchanging melody and line with either guitar or drums. Friedman�s sound is textured by inventive turns and while he is a very capable player, his mature restraint and tactful presence recall the hallmarks of accomplished, seasoned veterans who are careful not to over- play too many notes. Andrew Barr is in someways the obvious nucleus and anchor of the band�s considerable stores of energy. He is actually astounding to listen to. His amazing technical skills are held in tight rein, and the drums are never undervalued in relation to the more often reified strings. Andrew Barr breathes percussion. He fills his lungs with rhythm and exhales the beat with remarkable fluidity into the ears of the careful listener. His ability to combine high energy peak percussion and subtle, stylized support make him the engine for the form taken during the three dimensional sounds of Slip: depth, stature and duration� all taken quite seriously or lightheartedly as the case calls for. To listen to �Alivelectric� is to take a journey. It is this irreversibility of The Slip, this evidence of a sustained meditation upon the theory of �exit�, (exit from the confining modes of self, habit or mind) which makes their performance a passion. If the band did not outpour its emotional honesty with the strength and candor for and by which it is universally recognized and celebrated, the listeners would not feel like they had accomplished something by paying attention. The Slip are currently on tour in support of their fresh endeavors and will headline a sparkling night of Halloween excess at The Paradise club in Boston. STANLEY GEMMELL - http://scroll.to/surlsone [Forthcoming in the College Hill Independent, Providence, RI] --------------------------------------- ** We welcome your thoughtful comments - especially newbies!. Please participate by sending an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ** Web archive at http://email.theslip.net ** To unsubscribe: Send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the text 'signoff theslip' in the body of the message
