Noonan, Sean and Malcolm Mooney: Pavees Dance – There's Always the Night

This is one of those albums that will definitely be an acquired taste. Sean Noonan, drummer for underground Brooklyn band The HUB has hooked up with Malcolm Mooney, the original vocalist of the iconic German rock band Can. Also joining the ranks is Aram Bajakian (guitar) and Jamaaladeen Tacuma (bass).

If you are familiar with Can you can probably guess this music is not easy to digest and is quite experimental. The vocals are one of the most bizarre attributes of this record as you will hear everything from spoken word to chanting. The music combines elements of experimental rock, jazz, funk and world.

It begins with the completely chaotic "Man on the Moon" which I found to be quite disjointed and abrasive on the ears. However, the ship is righted somewhat with the title track. Its tighter arrangement and interesting chord progressions makes this one much easier to listen to. If there is such a thing as psychedelic Jamaican music "Quick Pick" is it, a stimulating combination of funk, punk rock and world music where the vocals subtly reminded me of the late Joe Strummer. "Moonwalk" is another interesting tune with its roots in British psychedelic and jam band sounds. "No Strings Attached" is a laid back spoken word number with some decent guitar and bass work while the album ending "Portrait of a Heartless Lover" rocks as hard as any of them. The weird middle section I could do without but the bluesy psychedelia at songs end is pure bliss.

This is pretty heady stuff and won't be for everyone. If you are a fan of Can or experimental rock in general you might want to give this one a spin.

Track Listing:
1. Man on the Moon
2. There's Always the Night
3. Quick Pick
4. Moonwalk
5. No Strings Attached
6. Portrait of a Heartless Lover

Added: June 27th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 2215
Language: english

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