RAINBRO

3.5 stars. INNER EAR BRIGADE are a six piece band from Oakland, California who have released two studio albums so far. They are led by guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bill Wolter who composed the music here. "Rainbro" is one of the best album titles I've seen for a while, makes me laugh. This is their debut from 2012 and in my opinion slightly better than the followup "Dromology" from 2017.

If you add in the guests we get up to 15 performers on here, and a lot of variety when it comes to sounds. Avant works for sure and even the female vocals help with that as they come across in a similar style to Deborah Perry and Elaine Di Falco from THINKING PLAGUE. You know, that mono- toned style, but this girl here has a much sweeter voice and is not on their level. The music also just isn't on the level of THINKING PLAGUE, but then few bands are.

A real jazz vibe on here too with all the horns, and even canterbury at times. I just find this inconsistent but when they are "on" I am so impressed. The opener "Knee" is so catchy followed by "Oom Pah" where we get a disco/funk mix and yes it's terrible. If you like the first two tracks, you'll love this album. It's not until the third track "Missing The Train" where I'm nodding in approval, and the mellotron brings some much needed warmth. "Rainbro" is a great song with the mellotron and how about the chaotic and powerful instrumental sections.

Love the canterbury vibe on "Forgotten Planet", and the closer "25 Miles To Freedom" is the other highlight. This one is the longest at over 10 minutes. Not big on the viola late but overall an outstanding piece. Interesting that this final song has more then half the guests on. Not surprisingly my top four are the only ones with mellotron in them.

An entertaining record that is fun, playful and catchy, but it's not without it's complexities and challenges.