Tone Ambient Metals Dischord / Brookland brought to you by Egg Boy Although my tastes favor a ‘less is more’ minimal rock band (see Mission of Burma, Shellac, Modest Mouse, et al.), there’s something that satisfies my inner band geek about Tone, the ‘guitar ensemble’ based in D.C. The possibilities of a band with anywhere from five to seven guitarists is intriguing, and the output of the band has shown a variety of moods. Their last effort, Structure, opened their sonic palette with the use of horns and cello, as well as the wall-of-sound production of Robert Poss, head guitar God in Band of Susans, another multi-guitar outfit with whom Tone shares more than a passing resemblance. With Ambient Metals, Tone adds a second drummer and the engineering talent of J. Robbins, late of Burning Airlines. Don’t expect any Promise Ring comparisons, though. The sound is thick and menacing, perhaps the perfect soundtrack for a battle scene in the next Lord of the Rings, and Robbins clean production perfectly captures a group that, in lesser hands, could prove a sonic disaster. Album opener ‘Karma’ creeps in and the bombast begins, a call to battle replete with marching snares. Imagine Stravinsky covering Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk.’ ‘Steppe’ is a waltz for Rush fans (in a good way), and ‘Sticks’ is a maniacal tear down and rebuild piece with a melody that somehow reminds me of Camper Van Beethoven. The record is a pleasantly warm fuzzy until about four minutes into track four, ‘Alhambra.’ This is when the band hits its stride, and sustains it throughout the remainder of the CD: distortion pedals, rhythmic stops, and interesting interplay between all parties involved. The bassline of ‘Timebox,’ more than just a nod to Golden Earring’s ‘Twilight Zone,’ gives individual parts a chance to really shine. Call and response riffing, harmonic noodling, and delay effects are all put in the spectrum, overlapping in a continuous stream of all-out sonic mayhem. Tone works best when it rocks most, presenting the assets of its parts in an accurate and interesting tandem. Closer ‘Southpaw’ ebbs and flows in the tradition of the guitar orchestrations of Glenn Branca, recalling some of the more freeform recorded moments of Sonic Youth and Can. A galloping, Edge-ish ebowing bonus track is buried deep at the end of the disc. Though at times one wants to hear less stream-lined restraint and more of the shards of the sonic possibilities of this band, there’s a spirit in the work of Tone that transcends genre, working on both rock and classical levels. Nowhere near the wank that one would expect from such a massive rock line-up, their body of work will be appreciated far past the lifespan of its (somewhat) constant evolution of members. No small feat indeed. Pros: More rock, no talk Cons: More rock Useful for: Beating down Uruk-hai and Orcs Metric Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? Goldfrapp Black Cherry Fleetwood Mac Say You Will DJ Dara Breakbeat Science Exercise 01 The 88 Kind of Light The Kills Black Rooster EP The Libertines Up the Bracket Jettatura Squadra Fantasma Tone Ambient Metals The Streets Original Pirate Material Grand Buffet Cigarette Beach Roni Size Touching Down Rolling Stones 40 Licks Brendan Benson Lapalco Anticon Music for the Advancement of Hip-Hop copyright © 2000-2005 - www.stellargirl.com