b r a n d o n

The 2004 release of 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 4, the first official recording of any kind from the almost legendary Electric Masada ensemble, was revelatory. For those not privileged to have seen this group in action, that live album offered a first taste of their ferocity and lyricism. And it's that combination that makes Electric Masada special: they combine the beauty of many of John Zorn's Masada songs with a percussive, improvisational fury aided by a lineup that features two drummers and a percussionist. The beautifully-packaged At the Mountains of Madness, the second Electric Masada release, is, if anything, even wilder. The hellaciously noisy freakouts are even noisier and more powerful this time around, and there are even two renditions of a song by Naked City, Zorn's infamous punk-jazz outfit, here appropriately dubbed "Metal Tov." Zorn in particular seems especially possessed, his sax solos blowing freer and more intense compared to those on the 50th birthday disc. And the enigmatic laptop wizard Ikue Mori plays a more prominent role, filling previously empty spaces with her obtuse electronic squiggling. While not as revelatory as the 50th birthday album, At the Mountains of Madness arguably packs a bigger punch. Not surprisingly, the shorter pieces like "Idalah-Abal" and "Hath-Arob" are storming beasts (though I actually prefer the longer, more developed, and more carefully-paced compositions); and the second disc's opener, "Tekufah," is given an absolutely searing reading that easily trumps its rendition on the 50th birthday release. For the Masada/Zorn neophyte, suffice it to say that Electric Masada brings elements of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew in line with a particular vision of 21st century fusion: a vision dominated by aggressive improvisation and Jewish melodies. Like the best of the Masada material, the songs here alternate (sometimes almost predictably) between spacy and beautifully melodic passages and loud, heavy jams sometimes based in jazz improv and sometimes in more rock-styled formats. If there's a complaint to be had, it's that there's so much duplication of material. Yes, the improvisational element means that no given take of a song is identical to any other; but with over 200 songs in the Masada repertoire, it's still a bit of a disappointment to find that 6 pieces are given readings on both CDs of this double-disc set, leaving only 3 pieces unique to one disc. That's a fairly superficial complaint though, and At the Mountains of Madness is an easy recommendation to anyone who enjoyed the 50th birthday album. The latter might be a better starting point given its shorter playing time and its slightly less strident attack, but any recordings of this band in top form are not likely to disappoint. review by Brandon Wu — 1-3-06 —