THAT'S WHAT'S UP

I am certainly not a frequent reviewer. But when I realized that nobody had reviewed music by Consider the Source I thought that I should give my point of view and encourage other listeners to give it a try.

So... here I am. Where to start when trying to describe CTS and the music they create? They're a jam band, true, but limiting the description to that statement would be unfair. Typical jam bands create music that becomes boring and redundant after a while, this is definitely not the case here. I can also state that they're very talented musicians... but again, most of the bands listed on this site are very talented too. So?

Let's say that Consider the Source is a power trio using typical instruments (drums, bass, and guitar) to create complex, lush and original instrumental music. Amateurs of brilliant musicianship won't be disappointed. Each instrument is played with brio. One should note the unusual 12 string guitar combining both fretted and fretless parts. The fretless guitar produces atypical sounds of great beauty that can fool many listeners because it replaces the keyboards with great effect.

Their music is a blend of hard-rock with a good part of psych and another significant part of Middle-Eastern influence. Add lots of energy, humour, positivism and a strong sense of melody, stir well. You'll obtain a cohesive music that is anything but plain. And I want to reaffirm that it is c-o-h-e-s-i-v-e. Contrary to most jam bands, some of their songs will stick in your head for hours. That's why, even if they're filed under the eclectic prog etiquette (for good reason), many Neo-prog listeners might be appealed. Most of the songs are multi faceted with sometimes very slow, spacey parts and other time fast paced rythms.

I won't go through a song by song review but let's have a look at Abdiel, the first song. It's one of the few songs recorded live. Intro from outer-space. Heavy reference to middle- eastern sounds. An excellent example of how the fretless guitar may sound. This guy has very agile fingers. Some exceptional jazzy bass parts near the end too. Highly melodic. This is a good example of what these guys can do although not the most complex song of the album.

And a few words on Ol'Chomper: not to be missed. Multi-part song. Awesome melody created by the guitar. One of the highlight of the album although there's not a weak song on it.

Conclusion: If you like complex but melodic music you'll be pleased. I'll restrain myself not to give 5 stars and being referred as a fan boy (although I'm really tempted). 4 stars for this very fresh and inspired music. Do yourself a pleasure, try it at least once, these guys deserve it. The two other albums are also excellent.