Inner Ear Brigade: Perkunas

Inner Ear Brigade calls itself “an ensemble of musicians,� and it surely is, with a large number of players appearing on each of their three albums, including the latest, Perkunas. To avoid leaving anyone out or misattributing someone’s work, I’m not going to mention specific musicians. Suffice it to say that what they have put together is well worth your time if you are into Zappa, fusion, or the Canterbury sound, because you get some of each (and more) on the album. Perkunas appeared in late 2024, just in time to squeak into my top 25 of the year list, and I’m still getting enjoyment from it.

The opener features a variety of instruments that often are hard to identify, but lead to many interesting changes of direction, and some lovely female, atmospheric vocals, a hallmark across the album. It is followed by “Sumimasen,� which has excellent interplay between the keys and the sax with tasteful, restrained drumming. “Earendel� is nearly six minutes of jazz bliss, sometimes a little traditional, sometimes a little dissonant. “Goblin Gruel Part 1� (there is no part 2, by the way) starts off with a medieval flourish and then moves into territory similar to what King Crimson occupied in the very early 1970s. “Muse 2 Entropy� is the least interesting track up to this point. It’s largely a vocal exercise with the music very much in the background. “Brood X� gets things back on course. It’s very jazzy, with some almost reggae-like rhythms. Unfortunately, the album doesn’t end strongly with the title track. The composition just doesn’t quite work (I think mainly because the song is too long and tries to incorporate too many ideas, some of which aren’t that interesting) and for the first time I find the vocals to be a distraction rather than a critically valuable component of the music.

This would be a five-star album for me without the closer. But when you find the longest song on the album, which makes up one-fifth of the total length of the release, a bit of a chore to listen to, you have to get docked. Thankfully, it’s also the last track. So, you don’t have to skip; just stop. And stop you should, lest it sour you on the rest that Perkunas has to offer.

In addition to the great music, the album has fetching artwork, reminiscent of the posters that King Crimson used to promote its last few tours.

Track Listing
1. Ecobio Curves (7:40)
2. Sumimasen (6:27)
3. Earendel (5:52)
4. Goblin Gruel Part 1 (6:19)
5. Muse 2 Entropy (4:35)
6. Brood X (6:04)
7. Perkunas (9:27)

Added: March 2nd 2025
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 198
Language: english

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