Marriage – Pool Blunt (Monofonus Press)
Liked what Marriage did on their previous release For Brötzmann a couple years ago, also through Monofonus Press, which has a fairly admirable catalog of experimental/noise/avant-rock releases under their belt at this point. Marriage's follow up, Pool Blunt, adds to that growing catalog with a release that takes their trajectory into odder and weirder spaces than before with a collision course of multiple basses and numerous drum setups. Sounds like a dream for a band that wants to make nothing but improvisational free-form music, and to a large extent that's what Marriage sounds like, however it's been stated that everything that is heard on Pool Blunt is hardly improvised, rather this is very much written, planned, and learned. Which kind of leaves me with the question of what would their live show be like then? Anyway, the album churns its way through the assault of differentiating chords, backed by some rather fine sounding drumming that makes the acoustics in the area I'm typing this shine. The use of a bass rhodes is incorporated nicely and adds to the heavy madness unleashed throughout, not to mention some sax work that for certain shouldn't go unnoticed. Occasionally Marriage locks into a groove that reminds me of Made in Mexico, if they had chosen to jam out a bit more. I'd imagine it's safe to say that anyone that enjoyed For Brötzmann should find something good to take away from Pool Blunt, just don't expect it to follow it step by step. Marriage - Church of the Horny Ghost (stream) BUY IT!
