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Aloha hail from Cleveland (Ohio) and debuted with the
EP The Great Communicators (Polyvinyl, 1999), five brief and intriguing
blasts of jazzcore.
The album That's Your Fire (Polyvinyl, 2000)
successfully merged progressive-rock, free-jazz, minimalism and post-rock
in intricate pieces such as A Hundred Stories and Saint Lorraine.
Tony Cavallario on vocals and guitar, Matthew Gengler on bass,
Cale Parks on drums, Eric Koltnow on vibraphone and piano display the technical
prowess of a fusion combo and the imagination of a Canterbury outfit.
Their take on music harks back to the 1970s, but propelled by the neuroses of
the 1990s.
Sugar (Polyvinyl, 2002) is better structured although a little less
adventurous.
They See Rocks, Let Your Head Hang Low, It Won't Be Long
are still impeccable performances but tend to reward the musicians, not the
audience.
Aloha is moving from emocore to progressive-rock, increasing the doses of
jazz (and vibraphone), alienating the rhythm and indulging in subtle
counterpoint.
Replacing Koltnow with a new keyboardist on
Here Comes Everyone (Polyvynil, 2004),
the band moved towards a sunnier and catchier sound,
distancing themselves from the previous album's jazz leanings
(although half the songs still feature the vibraphone).
Some Echoes (Polyvinyl, 2006) was a more structured work that
often evoked a tribute to psychedelic-rock of the Sixties.
Brace Your Face was the only piece to be led by the vibraphone,
and also the standout track. Keyboard arrangements dominate
Summer Lawn and Mountain.
Aloha's multi-instrumentalist
Cale Parks debuted solo with Illuminated Manuscript (Polyvinyl, 2006),
weak on the vocals but rich on the arrangements.
Body Buzz is the highlight of the pastoral seven-song EP Light Works (Polyvinyl, 2007).
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Giuseppe Schiavoni)
Gli Aloha arrivano da Cleveland (Ohio) e debuttano con l’EP The Great Communicators (Polyvinyl, 1999), cinque brevi e intriganti esplosioni di jazzcore. L’album That's Your Fire (Polyvinyl, 2000) fonde felicemente progressive-rock, free-jazz, minimalismo e post-rock in pezzi elaborati come A Hundred Stories o Saint Lorraine. Tony Cavallario alla voce e alla chitarra, Matthew Gengler al basso, Cale Parks alla batteria, Eric Koltnow al vibrafono e al piano, mostrano la perizia tecnica di una band di fusion unita alla fantasia della scuola di Canterbury. Il loro approccio alla musica richiama gli anni 70, spinto però dalle nevrosi degli anni 90.
Sugar (Polyvinyl, 2002) è meglio strutturato anche se un po’ meno ardito. They See Rocks, Let Your Head Hang Low, It Won't Be Long sono pezzi sicuramente impeccabili, ma tendono a soddisfare più i musicisti stessi che gli ascoltatori. Gli Aloha passano dall’emocore al progressive-rock incrementando la dose di jazz (e di vibrafono), allontanandosi dal ritmo e indulgendo in sottili contrappunti.
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