Smoke or Fire - Above the City - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

After recently whetting the collective appetite of their ever expanding fan-base with the of a new single, Smoke or Fire just put the finishing touches on the promised follow-up full-length. Titled THE SPEAKEASY, the album is undoubtedly the band's piece de resistance. Every element of THE SPEAKEASY suggests that Smoke or Fire have finally realized their portential. THE SPEAKEASY is a complete album in the truest sense, lacking nothing, while offering varied, yet equally enthralling melodies and music on each of the 13 tracks. Constructed around the cornerstone of the guitar driven, heavy punk rock sound they are known for, this album evolves much further. Innovative melodies are ushered along by clever guitar work as gruff vocals give way at time to a more polished pitch. Joe (singer/guitarist) finds a way to throttle his vocals to the brink of what is humanly possible, yet still maintains the key, infusing a palatable passion into the music. Add to this the fact that Smoke or Fire brought a new rhythm section featuring Ryan Parrish on drums and Gwomper on bass, along with enlisting production talents of Matt Allison, and it's not surprising that THE SPEAKEASY turned out to be an album that will dominate playlists for a long time to come.

'Improvisations For Piano & Flute' is, as the title suggests, a series of fully improvised compositions by the two legendary musicians. The flow of this album is more contemplative and analog in nature than anything in the duo's prior output in their 3 decades of Shpongle, yet equally mesmerizing and consciousness-expanding. This album is a significant departure from their usual output in it's focus on the interplay of Raj's lyrical flute playing and Simon's evocative creativity at the piano.

Smoke or Fire - This Sinking Ship [COMPACT DISCS] date 02/20/2007