Avatar - Hands CD Review

Avatar (no this came out way before the movie) is an World Fusion instrumental quartet from Melbourne Australia consisting of 2 acoustic guitars, bass & drums and guest accordion. Accordion? yes thats right afrobraziflamencuban odd grooves with accordion too, you gotta have chops for this.

Avatar - Hands (2008)
Baba Eva - 7/4, 9/4
Mango - 5/4, 4/4, 6/4
(Tango with 5, way cool)
Ryans Dance - 3/4, 5/8, 2/4, 4/4
From Over the Fence - 4/4
Mercedes - 4/4, 3/4, 7/8, 2/4, 3/4, 6/4, 8/8
(my favorite, especially drum ostinato)
No, Really 4/4
Jai Ya - 4/4
Ceret - 4/4
Song for Piyarat - 4/4
Stephanie - 4/4

Have you ever heard a Tango with 5? Well hurry up and get their CD. It sounds so natural, it should be a requirement for all the dance contests and I would certainly dance that with Ryan. Now I wouldn't usually put Mercedes in a favorite category (only Mustangs) but for this CD I have to make an exception, this Mercedes grooves especially at the drum ostinato,,, yahhh. Keep it coming Avatar, next time a Sevillana in 7 please.

Check out their worldly oddness at AvatarGuitar.com

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Strategy by Strategy Arizona Prog

Strategy is an prog instrumental trio based out of Scottsdale AZ, bass, drums, guitar. They don't hang much in 4 and I like that. Here are the tracks:

Ice Crisis - 11/8, 7/8, 5/4, 4/4
Phase Shift - 10/8, 6/4
Stream of Consciousness - 7/8, 6/8, 10/8
(that my kind of consciousness with some 13 added of course)
Back to the Cafe Collapso - 10/8, 7/8, 11/4, 9/4
Sliding Backwards - 11/8, 7/8, 10/8
Parallel Universe - 7/8, 10/8, 9/8, 9/4, 6/8
(one part Rhythm in 9/4 and melody in 9/8 very parallel indeed)
Odd Meter Mayhem - 15/8, 7/4
Clean Up on Aisle 6 - 6/8 15/8
Track Rabbit - 5/4, 4/4
(play along with this groove, its a good one to learn 5 in)

I really dig how they use these meters and never bore the ear with constantly changing grooves. This reminds me of the yesteryears of YES sans that Rick-o-sound (that I am so partial to), meets King Crimson but is missing a very expensive producer and many many hours of playing/touring together. This is a good CD and they have the potential to be great. So don't stop and keep the music coming Strategy and one in 13 next time please.

You can check them out at MySpace.com/bandstrategy

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Electronic Black Dog in Straight Four

A while back, I bought this CD in the hopes that I could hear just a bit of electronic oddness. I know I should turn to 'Intelligent Dance Music' but I just wanted a wee bit of smarts... Nope, didn't get it on this one. Thanks to ISSA, this version has none of that silly 7/8 drum beat. Although its a pretty cool mix, I was mad I actually bought this.

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Looking for odd meter in the wrong places...

Just a little FYI - in case you happen to run into these CDs, they don't have any odd meter on them, at all. No mind over common meter and no 3,3,3,2,2 in the slightest.

I can hope eh???

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Y'all like 7-8 eh?

And the winner is...

Yup, 7-8 it is... Is it that circular feeling you get when you play it or the skipped ahead to something better OCD feeling that gets ya? or maybe its because its July or you still have that Traci Lords song in your head... or something else totally different... oh do tell

Haha Thank you everyone for voting... and perhaps next time I will have a cool prize.

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