NEW PRESS FROM DEUTSCHLAND!
Again a band that comes out of nowhere. These kinds of surprises are reason enough to keep looking for new discoveries. They are out there - I want to believe.
miRthkon, under the lead of guitarist Wally Scharold, bombards the interested listener with a happy mix of well done, off-beat, aggressive and dry guitar riffs with complex, unusual compositions which are decorated with seemingly labyrinthine woodwind lines (mostly saxophones, but also clarinets) - it's a true joy. Sometimes it sounds like a less hectic and less traversed version of Dr. Nerve, sometimes one can hear through the twisted melody lines the good old, late Frank Zappa (although updated with very heavy guitars), especially in the melodic, polyphonic, and playful 'Daddylonglegz'. German listeners will be reminded of the more off-beat moments of Panzerballet, where the funkiness and more offensive jazziness are replaced with reminiscences of the RIO school (a bit of jazz rock is present here and there with miRthkon, although with more edge and sneer).
It sounds weird, and it is. But still it is not repelling or cold, but to the contrary through a casually ironic style and the fresh combination of diverse musical elements are quite attractive and despite all the musical roughness it is not harsh. Fine, very fine.
The biggest flaw of 'The Illusion of Joy" is the fact that this EP plays pretty short (it is, by the way, offered in a very nice DigiPak, and the price is lowered too). Should this EP sell well miRthkon has announced that they will again publish earlier out-of-print recordings (those are, however, more solo projects of Scharold and less a product of the band). I really hope this is going to happen. Even more I wish they would work on a real LP of the present band because their music is most exciting. More of this!!!
review by Udo Gerhards from BabyBlaue Prog-Reviews
translation from German by Doris Kyburz
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LIVE AUDIO!
Use the Flash Player below to listen to our most recent show!
LIVE at Hotel Utah 02.08.2007
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CD RELEASE!
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CLICK ON THE BANNER BELOW TO BUY OUR DEBUT CD!
Start your miRthkon TODAY!
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Our EP is also available from the following fine outlets:
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GREETINGS
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Upon activation, the consumer will find him or herself confronted by sounds so bold as to ask the most far-reaching of musical questions:
What do sax soli lines sound like over raging odd-meter metal grooves?
What is it that makes a bass clarinet sound so evil?
Can complexity be catchy?
Why are round things so boring?
Will tweaked-out atonal jazz thrash be THE NEXT BIG THING?