Reviews

2016 hasn't had enough weird yet. Melt Yourself Down is here to take care of that, with their newest album Last Evenings On Earth full of crushing bass combined with North African beats and jazzy spirals.

Right off the bat, we get some Lightning Bolt vibes with heavily distorted bass in 'Dot To Dot'. The song features frantic and tribal saxophones over a threatening beat paired with subtle electronics and huge demanding vocals. The wild saxophones run amok all over this record; 'Listen Out' and 'Body Parts' featuring prominent use of the instrument. Pete Wareham really outdid himself - the brass section on this album is killer. Vocalist Kushal Gaya lends his voice in a strong way. A lot of the vocal performances on the record sound bewildered and entranced, as if the music was backing some sort of ritual. Some of the lyrics are near nonsensical, at that, too. I'm not quite sure what language 'Yazzan Dayra' is written in (if it isn't gibberish). 'Big Children (Gran Zanfran)' sounds like French to me, but don't quote me. The vocals are as diverse as being sung in different languages! The percussion features a lot of tribal beats and even steel drums and bongos to add color and authenticity; 'Bharat Mata' and 'The God Of You' make good use of the North African vibes in the percussion. There are subtle electronics hidden throughout the track, except for standout track 'Jump The Fire', where electronics are brought to the forefront of the track. The electronic sound actually lends itself really well to the brooding and bouncy instrumentation of the song. It's probably the most normal sounding song on the record, which is saying something as it's still a pretty weird song!

Melt Yourself Down is pretty crazy. Their avant-garde jazz/tribal fusion is something that no one has ever quite heard before. Grand instrumentation fused with thick tribal beats and fat brasses give the album an interesting and unique sound that has much space for growth and forming a niche. The album does go a tad overboard with how fanatic it is, but that's part of doing something like this. There's no art without a little insanity.

Favorite Tracks: Jump The Fire, Dot To Dot

Least Favorite Track: Listen Out

Rating: 7/10