Secret Chiefs 3: First Grand Constitution and Bylaws

The noise-riddled ugly/beautiful sonic landscape of First Grand Constitution and Bylaws by Secret Chiefs 3.

Continuing through my recent stash of new discs I turn my ears toward a recent discovery via my internet radio listening habit: Secret Chiefs 3.

The material on First Grand Constitution and Bylaws is aggressive and restless. To my ears I detect echoes of John Zorn's arrangements of Ennio Morricone and Naked City's aggressive poly-style mashing mixed in with moments of Beck, Yamataka Eye screams, angst and humor. They retain their "rock" credibility by keeping every track extremely short (arty pretentiousness grows with duration as the cliche has been discussed in recent new music blogs). The high contrast in texture from moment to moment is a welcome distraction and it's a good kick for when you've grown weary of more refined musics.

This is Secret Chiefs 3's first release and I suspect their output has grown stronger with each iteration. There were several sonic textures that I wished were extended beyond their momentary appearance. But I didn't mind hearing them vanish into a pool of swirling exploration. It's far more frustrating to hear a good idea cut short by a rigid mold of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus-verse than having it drain into a consistent pool of poly-textures that follows its own internal logic.