LEAP SECOND NEUTRAL

I remember the sunny days in Rome last year, when I listened to this album exclusively for a week probably. It was too hot during the day to do much of anything, so while my family was resting, I looked for my energy elsewhere. I had just discovered this band, and thought that Leap Second Neutral would brighten my day. It was truly one of the few great decisions I've ever made in my life.

Machine and the Synergetic Nuts have it all really, from mind-boggling technical performance, to the ability to create surprisingly catchy compositions, it's all here. This Canterbury-inspired group blends so many different ideas together, that it's quite simply amazing. If you can imagine a blend of modern jazz music, Soft Machine, National Health and Nucleus, add 500% of more energy and enthusiasm to the mix, you still don't have a clue what this Japanese band sounds like at all.

This is pretty difficult to grasp at first, as the music tends to be quite noisy and difficult, and a couple of times we are almost approaching the RIO environment. Nevertheless, one of the great things about this band, is that while most jazz-rock bands tend to rely solely on technical performance (and forget the compositions), these guys know how to keep things relatively accessible. Just listen to Trout, and try to tell me that the piano-sax riff used there isn't catchy as hell? The saxophone parts particularly, are very infectious on this album. The incredibly energetic rhythm section is one of the most impressive I've ever heard, and on top of that, there are no weak tracks on this album. I really don't see how a Canterbury/Jazz-rock fan could live without this album.

Pretty amazing stuff, indeed. 4,5 stars.

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