b r a n d o n

This wacky instrumental trio definitely takes the cake for coming up with the most creative song titles. I mean, a song called "With a car like that you must be knee deep in whores" can't be anything but a classic, right? And the band's sense of humor seems to extend past the titles and into the music, which is refreshing for an instrumental prog group. A comparison with French TV is the first thing that came to my mind, if only because of the surf-inspired guitar melodies to be found here. Chuck Vrtacek's guitar is, without doubt, the lead instrument here, and his style is an odd meshing of surf riffing with very precise, intricate Frippish picking. Eighties King Crimson is the other obvious superficial reference point. But what makes the band successful isn't just Vrtacek's playing, but also the tightness of the ensemble. The bass playing is melodic and often its lines are just as intricate and involved as the guitar parts; and the drumming and miscellaneous percussion gets equal time in some pieces as well. A particular favorite of mine is the aforementioned "With a car like that..." — see, I told you it had to be good — in which the guitar and the bass take turns in the lead melodic spot, exchanging roles effortlessly with the drummer switching styles accordingly. Where the band loses me is in some of the more extended pieces. The wacky melodies and tight interplay works really well in pieces of short duration, but in longer tracks an almost minimalistic repetition comes into play. The nearly twenty-minute "fruit pie salesman..." is the most obvious example - I just can't really engross myself in the dry guitar melody that's repeated over and over ad infinitum. Despite this, for the most part Down With Gravity exudes a fun attitude and a sense of humor, something that's all too rare in the prog genre sometimes. Fans of 80s King Crimson looking for something that doesn't take itself quite as seriously should be enthralled. review by Brandon Wu — 10-31-01 —