OUROBOROS

My experiences with Avant rock always seems to be either very good or very bad, with very few "in between" cases. The "Avant" nature of the music usually either completely alienates me from even enjoying the work I'm listening or to or the creative and experimental nature makes the work a treat for my ears. Luckily, young Costa Rican Avanters Erth's debut EP Ouroboros struck me as the latter. The EP, which doesn't even breach 15 minutes in length, is a condense and exciting joy ride of care-free, energetic, and just overall fun music. The six small near snippets of music are a real pleasure to listen to and set these guys apart from many of the Avant bands of the day.

Instrumentally based, the EP is driven mostly by piano player Andres Bonilla and is supported by drummer Juan Luis Diaz, bassist and synth player Joel Fernandez, and synth player Rodrigo Garcia. The band's style heavily borrows from jazz, psych, and classic experimental and Avant-prog qualities. The guitarless songs, most of which don't even reach three minutes, are fun and exciting to listen to, and give you a raw taste of the band's awesome sense of creativity and musical inventiveness. Whether the two synth players (albeit one is also a bassist) are creating an electro-psych based atmosphere for the piano and drums to noodle within a jazzy, experimental nature, or the band is just jamming over a cool theme, the whole EP, as short as it is, is a great listen. And as a free release, the band makes that much easier to have a taste of their fun new music. Go and download it for free from their bandcamp, you won't regret it! 4 stars.