Mike Dillon's Go-Go Jungle "Battery Milk" (Hyena)
By Ben Taylor
Wednesday. Feb 14, 2:30 AM
Check out the weirdoes jamming their metal up the jam band ass.

Percussionist Mike Dillon has been a supporting player on the freakier side of the jam band scene for at least a decade now, playing with everyone from Les Claypool and Ani DiFranco to The Polyphonic Spree and Sex Mob. But he’s been able to most assert himself with several projects helmed by saxophonic oddball Skerik, a man not known for ever playing it safe. Dillon signed on as a fourth member to two underrated trios made up of heavyweight players, Critters Buggin and Garage A Trois. While Critters got freaky when GAT got groovy, Dillon was always there every step of the way on vibes and percussion, getting as in-the-pocket or out-to-lunch as his cohorts needed him. After working steadily for the last decade, he’s finally taken it upon himself to lead his own band, and he’s off to an auspicious start.

Right out of the gate, “Gogo’s Theme” delves into a heavy slice of go go, the Washington, DC flavor of p-funk favored by underground legends like Trouble Funk and Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers. Regardless of where drummer Go-Go Ray Pollard got his nickname, he acquits himself nicely, nailing the rolling tom fills and splashing backbeat grooves of his namesake. But with Dillon’s hammering vibes leading the way, instead of any chanted party vocals, the tune gets into a pulsing late ‘60s Blue Note vibe, not unlike some of the classic Bobby Hutcherson sides. They’re not faking the funk, and by the time the ringing Monk-like dissonance of “Broc’s Last Stand” barrels in, they’ve proven that they’re no jazz slouches either. They’ve got a tight groove to wail over, but instead of just wanking away, Dillon gets into some sharp riffing, that with the right combination of close-interval harmony and sonic distortion, he evokes the deliciously dirty clanging of the Congolese thumb-piano ensemble Konono No.1. It’s a unique sound, and Dillon exploits it well, instead of relying on the shimmering chimes that’s been the stock in trade for vibraphonists for the last few decades.

With a line-up of electric bass, drums, sax, and vibes, they would seem all set to cruise through some retro swinging exploration, but then things get weird quick. By the third song, “The Blame Game,” Dillon’s adding tabla runs to his vibe oscillations, and there are some abstract ambient sounds lurking in the background, setting the stage for bassist J.J. “Jungle” Richards’ hushed vocals. He sings on a few songs here, and while he’s no polished crooner, he fits in well, adding some focus to the instrumentals, even pulling off a Curtis Mayfield-esque falsetto on Aaron Neville’s “Hercules.”

Probably this group’s greatest strength is their dynamic style and range, moving from metallic thrashing to funky jazz sophistication with all the power and grace of Bad Brains or electric Miles Davis. They be overselling their punk chops, but you try rocking this hard without a guitar player. It’s difficult to pin this stuff down, seeing how it moves from jazz to rock to funk (just like mid ‘70s Jeff Beck) with plenty of nods to hip hop, metal, and just plain trippy weirdness. It all fits together fairly well, never seeming like weirdness for weirdness’ sake or short attention span noodling. These guys are set to be on the road supporting this album for most of this year, so it should be pretty startling to hear their next album after they’ve had some time to gel and kick things up a notch.
www.hyenarecords.com

Click here to buy this album on iTunes!

Click here to download the iTunes jukebox application for Macintosh or Windows!

Ben Taylor

Got something constructive to say? By all means, rant away. Gonna blab about something unrelated and/or talk shit? Don't expect your comment to stick around.