THE LAST TRIBE

An instrumental album from what I am led to believe is a seasoned band of veterans from Brazil, here adding a new instrumentalist to the group, "Touch Guitarist" Jorge Pescara. This touch guitar sounds and looks to me like a Chapman Stick--but, whatever. The music here is very much in the vein of so many current and recent Dutch bands except maybe a little more bluesier. The music is interesting though, like a lot of blues, the recording has been performed such that every mistake made by each individual musician (and there are a lot of mistakes here) is right out in fornt and open.

1. "Windmaster" (6:26) opens the album with a nice series of notes from a guitar (though possibly it is the Touch Guitar) before the bass lines, drums, and pedal-volume-controlled lead guitar notes (though, again, it could be the pedal-controlled volume of the treble side of the Touch Guitar, if it has the double pickup plugs like my Chapman Stick had) all join in. At 1:50 the lead guitarist goes into a heavy solo--which lasts pretty much the full length of the song's remainder. Every time I hear this song I find myself wondering, "Is this going to be a Post Rock/Math Rock album?" (8/10)

2. "Dorian Grey" (4:27) Nothing too complicated but strong, catchy riffs and melodies. The competent classic rock guitar solo is right where it should be. (9/10)

3. "The Last Tribe" (1:56) the title song, brief as it is, starts off just like a varied version of song 6, "Tarde Demias," before falling into martial pace to support another, albeit nice extended solo from the lead guitarist (this one having a second background lead shadowing it.) (7/10)

4. "Lydia in The Playground" (5:20) poor sound recording (scratchy) on first lead guitar. Second lead is nice, great sound. Third lead is also nicely played, recorded well. Rolling "Fretless-like" bass throughout is ear-catching. (8/10)

5. "Unimpossible" (7:46) opens ploddingly, as if unsure what pace and style it wants to play--before settling into a very classic blues style. The effect is rather unsettling as it doesn't really work very well---too late-night lounge like. Even when the drums join in and things get raunchy and the bass-line gets very interesting the song just never seems to get there. Not until the 6:35 mark does the guitarist finally deliver us from the hell of mediocrity. (7/10)

6. "Tarde Demias" (3:40) uses some echoing effects to very positive effect, and also uses several very catchy melody lines (bass and lead guitar). At 1:24 lead guitarist Nelson Coelho takes off on one of his solos, leaving the rest of the band to fend for themselves, which, again, they do not do so well. The solo is good. The band comes back together for a nice finish. (8/10)

7. "Vintitrels" (4:19) by now the blues rock format is overstaying its welcome. The music's stark, sparsely treated sound is getting a bit old and grating. The drummer always seems to be following someone else, the bass (Touch Guitar) player is having trouble keeping time (let's face it: he's no metronome, and by now we've discovered: he's no Tony Levin. As a former Stick player, I can say that there is very little here that impresses me.) and the guitarist often seems to wander off into his own world. (As a matter of fact, perhaps each of the three instrumentalists can be accused of being guilty of such.) (7/10)

8. "Where Is It" (5:11) is perhaps the tightest, most Crimson-esque song on the album, which is a nice change and, by now, surprise. Lots of whole-group staccato rhythm and chord playing. The lead guitar solo beginning at the 3:35 mark is also one of his better soli--though, once again, as Nelson goes off into his own zone it seems that the rest of the band fragments and threatens to disintegrate. Fortunately, they come back together for the final 20 seconds. (9/10)

9. "Sand Horses" (4:07) finds the band travelling back again into classic rock time for some standard bass-drums & guitar jamming. Not quite Hendrix or Stevie Ray. (7/10)

10. "Chromaterius" (3:42) uses its first two minutes to let Jorge show us a little of his two handed Touch guitar skill. Dueling a little with Nelson makes it a little interesting, until the music switches over to a very heavy, very lumbering rhythm section--though this section contains what is easily the most impressive drumming and guitar playing on the album. (8/10)

Favorite songs: "Whereisit," "Dorian Grey," and "Windmaster.

Though the album has grown on me considerably upon repeated listens (the mistakes are less glaring/bothersome and more accepted as part of the musical presentation), The Last Tribe is, for me, a 3.5 star album, rated down for sometimes poor recording, for the band members' timing inconsistencies, their breakdowns in 'group weave', and for their occasional lapses into each their own separate universes.