The Joy of Tech
The Joy of Motion is Animals as Leaders' third album and charts an ocean of densely layered guitar with jazz and djent prominent amid the chopping and changing of the 12 tracks. As an instrumental affair there's no 'message' to be gleaned and occasionally all The Joy of Motion seems to have to say is: "that was cool, wasn't it?" but there are moments of awe.
The band - ostensibly an outlet for eight string wizard Tosin Abasi - aren't as obviously individual as past masters of technical aggression like Cynic or Meshuggah but they do know what they are doing as they blend tightly wound bass sounds, sparkling electronics and alternating melodic and metallic guitar playing from both Abasi and his fellow guitar player - Javier Reyes. It's prog-metal for sure, but what that often means in practice is heavy metal with the dirt removed and prog without the art school pomp.
The album blinks into life with some shimmering guitar on Ka$cade which is systematically picked apart by juddering guitar rhythms being chased by Matt Garstka's drums before a hair-in-the-wind solo ushers in some chuggery. It feels frantic on first listen but Ka$cade is actually a great opening song introducing many of the sounds and moods that will be draped over the remaining eleven tracks.
Misha Mansoor of djentists Periphery, contributes to the songwriting on this record and perhaps that can be most evidenced in the construction of the mechanical riffery alongside Abasi's more lyrical, jazz-infected lead playing. It works but the effect of so many ideas can make for frustrating listen as parts are tossed in without further exploration. Furthermore, chopping melodies over several parts and dropping rhythms in and out of play sounds good initially but can sound gimmicky over time especially if that's happening over some eighties action film synth parts. Songs like Air Chrysalis and Para Mexer are allowed more space to breathe and as a result, bring the listener in a little closer. Abasi returns to the opening sounds of the record on Another Year showcasing the melodic side of his playing before seguing into the spidery robot funk of Physical Education which almost sounds like they're re-engineering a Battles song from the inside-out. Elsewhere, Tooth and Claw is as taut and compact as it gets.
Despite the possibility of more considered arrangements, the kitchen sink approach is revisited on The Joy of Motion; used almost as a crutch when editing and developing songs might have served the album better. That lets Animals as Leaders down at times - a case of the tail wagging the dog methinks (I'm looking at you, Mind-Spun and Nephele). That and the fact there are 12 songs when there might have been nine. However, this is essentially nerdy music - from the 8 strings and 8 bit sounds to the guitar virtuoso leanings (thank god for the absence of keytar) to the obsessive, stay-at-home-transcribing-solos vibe - it won't readily find a home in the casual music fans collection.
On the whole, I think those existing fans of the band will be impressed as The Joy of Motion obviously retains the sheer musicality of past releases while refining the use of different moods and further integrating electronics into the group's sound. For me though it's when they ditch the frippery (not Frippery, heh) and concentrate on the songs that this record works best. Let's hope that Animals as Leaders don't limit themselves to that demographic and push on with the songwriting side on future releases.