Tomahawk - Anonymous (Ipecac)
4/5
By: Charlie Potter
Tomahawk consistently author the sort of albums you find really rewarding to listen to loads when they first come out. But though they are always instantly gratifying, the sound is subtle and particular enough to keep you interested over a long period of time. This is in no small part down to the fact that, although they're no Jesus Lizard, the music is predominately written by the same guy responsible for JL's sound - guitar maestro Duane Dennison.
The initial impact of this album compared to that of other Tomahawk LPs is slightly staggered by how much more stripped back the songs are, but nevertheless it's been by no means a chore to assess, and eventually spinning it became a welcome event for my whole household. 'Anonymous', the band's interpretation of native American music, seems to have a lot more in the way of Ipecac owner and Mr. Bungle / Faith No More frontman Mike Patton's input than on their previous recordings, so much so that at times it sounds remarkably similar to parts on 'Delirium Cordia' the third and best Fantomas album (regardless of what some impatient, thoughtless critics have spewed out - just had to get that in there).
Does it miss (now departed bassist) Kevin Rutmanis? Well, yes and no. Kevin played fantastically on those first two albums and added more of a dynamic to the sound, being an extra pair of ears and brain, but Duane Denison steps so confidently in to his bass playing role that it doesn't seem to really matter that Rutmanis has been kicked out of yet another band. It seems important that this album in particular has more of Denison's input at ground level, and it's all the more satisfying for it.
That said, something that spurs this band on a great deal is how much they don't want to sound like the Jesus Lizard. After all, if Tomahawk were just some Jesus Lizard copy without David Yow, it would be merely a project for the benefit of Jesus Lizard fans who couldn't let go, and would be snubbed by the rest of the music appreciating world. I really think that Mike Patton has brought a lot to this band, and almost redeemed himself for that whole by in large disappointing Peeping Tom thing. There's a lot going on up in his noggin - he still knows how to cut it.
But enough with all that chat - what is 'Anonymous' actually like? Well, I'm absolutely delighted with it. It's bloody amazing. It certainly shows that Duane Denison has looked into old American Indian music long and hard, and through following this sound the album is much more unusual than the first two. The stripped back, two riff songs really suit John Stanier's ability to comfortably pummel out off beat drum patterns, yet more proof that he clearly has grown remarkably as a drummer from all his work in Battles.
This album sees three very inspired musicians having one a hell of a lot of fun. Stanier revels in the joy of doing something other than Battles' math rocking, Denison loves it because of his new found admiration for massive-sounding chant-like native American music, and Patton because this is the most rockin' album he has done in an age. Hopefully he realises this is where he belongs, although he has brought some of his naff interpretation of hip hop along with him which doesn't exactly sit comfortably in these surroundings. He also a lot of the time does just sound annoying, and the cutting cleanness of his voice is often too much, but he makes up for it on numerous occasions and shows that he is still that talented pioneering vocalist we know, love, and hail as something of a legend. It has to be said his use of samples and general wide musical knowledge have brought a hell of a lot of depth to this album. Perhaps Patton should stick even closer to these incredibly intense musicians, because it undoubtedly brings out the best in him.
The album is more of an aesthetically pleasing than a structurally intriguing one, in that most of the tracks only really have two or three elements but still maintain some kind of vitality. Also, if you're looking for some crazy Duane Denison guitar twiddling, it's not here - the axe parts are stripped back to intensely menacing janglers, and they are all the better for it. The sound of each track is quite different, so there develops a very notable structure to the album, so much so that I'm not sure they got the track listing entirely right. It does seem to take a while to get going, with most of the really astounding tracks lumped together in the middle, but still, rushed track listing can tend to be a pitfall of many side projects, side project albums being one step closer to session LPs of course...
Despite it indeed being a good thing that this isn't a Jesus Lizard rip off, it certainly warrants the attention of more of JL's fans, and certainly shouldn't disappoint those that count themselves as Tomahawk admirers first and foremost.
Stream the whole album HERE.
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