Deep Turtle – Turkele - 4/5
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It has been a while since I revisited the shores of this music blog and whilst my return may be a slow one it has not been abandoned. Deep Turtle are a Finnish band that sing entirely in Spanish; a fact which alone probably gives you a decent idea what level of normality can be expected. Their sound is not readily definable, perhaps almost comparable to Ska punk except this is far from what you would expect. It isn't all about simple twangy guitar lines and bouncy fun guitar lines, even if they feature prominently in this short but sweet EP. Instead everything has been taken that bit further, stretching into Avant-Garde territory with an aggressive jazzy lines and a progressive chaotic tone that often feels more akin to Zorn's “Naked City.”
A key component to this sound is the way the bass and lead guitars play off one another, both given equal opportunity to shine with neither dominating; the bass providing catchy melodies to balance the simple chords of the guitars in a smooth jazz groove only to spontaneously erupt into their own brand of insanity, with both instruments providing their own technical riffs before abruptly changing mood back into their smooth grooves, it feels impressive that the drummer manages to keep up with the rapid changes in pace but instead he seems to relish in the opportunity to be free to perform as he wants. By comparison the vocalists duty feels almost forfeit as his rough and ready roar feels as appropriate for the swinging latin-jazz influenced passages as it does when apparently infuriated at what his compadres are doing behind him.
But throughout all the time signatures and eccentricity it never feels as though its performed for the sake of it. In the context of each track it has a purpose in creating the whole entity, crescendo's and crashes galore. What Deep Turtle deliver is jazzcore without the pretentious wankery; chaotic and yet with all the sense of melody you could ask for. There are few bands that even attempt something like this but that doesn't relegate them to some sort of novelty act. This is a trio of musicians who produced all their releases themselves so as to create a unique sound to their own liking and it never suffers for it. Simply sublime.
Highlights: Basura, Pesadilla
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