Following up their 2008 full length debut album, Aficionado return with a four track EP that contains the same fun infused miss mash of styles to release something that whilst having flavours of everyone from King Crimson or My Life Story to Polyphonic Spree or Jethro Tull, really sounds like no one other than Aficionado! All four of the tracks on the disc are jingly jangly, trumpet parpy, flute filled, quirky romps.
The title track bounds along with shouty vocals and a trumpet line that often apes the guitars without every actually coming together with it. Always sounding like it's a nanosecond away from falling apart this is not a "comfortable" listen, however the jaunty pop vibe and joyous vocal exclamations ensure that this good time, if complicated, music that rewards persiverance.
"I Don't Believe We've Met" has some wonderful keyboard stabs punctuating a dirty meandering riff and vocal wise it's just huge. Goodness knows how many people actually are singing on this at any one time, but it certainly sounds like each one of the eight members is screaming for their lives. Then we get a beautiful gentle passage that calms everything down before we are off on the merry madness again. It's hard not to sing along and harder not writhe around the room to.
Monstrously large guitars introduce "Naysayers" and they continue to thrive throughout the track while trading licks with the trumpet of Chris Tenerowicz and jostling with Craig Dutra's keyboards. There are hints of jazz, fusion, prog and metal all in the space of a few seconds and the ability to whizz all these styles in the musical blender makes it a track that releases new joys on every play.
Closing "The Same Original Idea" shows a far mellower side to Aficionado, with a flute section that could have been lifted from Lord of the Rings soundtrack making way for another breakneck romp with Yes like guitars, Dresden Dolls like piano and another enigmatic vocal from Nick Warchol whipping up a tasty little concoction.
The Myth About Real Life is an EP that needs more than a couple of listens to digest and appreciate, and it would be fair to suggest that you need a reasonably sunny disposition to cope with extremely "up" nature of the songs, however there is some excellent musicianship and song writing to be discovered if you are willing to give yourself to the music and once you have it's hard to wipe the smile off your face!!
Track list:
1. The Myth About Real Life
2. I Don't Believe We've Met
3. Naysayers
4. The Same Original Idea
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