Liberation

Following the critical success of their Road Cone debut Fig. 5 in 2000, Jackie-O M**********r released their seventh album, Liberation, in October 2001. This CD showcases the group's most experimental free-form side. The 12 musicians involved in these recordings stomp over any distinctions between rock, jazz, folk, or any other musical idiom for that matter. They jam. When a structure arises, either spontaneously or not, the general feel of the music tends to get closer to psychedelic rock and post-rock, something like a freer Godspeed You Black Emperor! or Mushroom, or a more drug-induced Trummerflora Collective. The 12-headed beast is in a constant state of metamorphosis. When you think you've got it figured out, it throws something unexpected at you, like the slow-paced, sensuous Dino Valenti song "Something on Your Mind." Liberation features percussion, electric guitar, vibes, saxophone, violin, some electronics, even a bit of non-intrusive turntablism. Fans of trippy space rock will be in heaven during "The Pigeon" and "Peace on Earth." At all times the music remains calm, paced, introspective in a sense, but all the while cathartic, liberating. These people can amass a whole lot of noise but keep it gentle. Some passages are overlong, but not many, which is unusual in this kind of records. As hodgepodgy, confused, and eclectic their blend may seem, they master it and make it exciting. Recommended. ~ François Couture, Rovi