Customer Reviews

Interplanetary Escape Vehicle

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Off the hook. These cats jam like no other. Smooth funk groove so tight and right it feels like it comes straight from the brain. Intense buildups and explosions. Deep liquid smooth funk baseline like butter, then up and slappin quick in an instant; fresh jazz vibe organ sounding keys, then fading slow and into some phishy tumbling keys, along with some sweet synth sounds every now and again; fast as light tiss tiss ca-tika-tatta-tat click clack tika tika drums on the Buddy Rich tip, with no lack of thump on the bottom; and a guitar that wika chiks and bends sounds up and down, while keeping up clear tones and do-de-li-doin' it up the scale with precision. Every song is distinct yet contains all the elements of the others, some licking bass, some jam meandering, some driving thump, it's all good. All that slapped together while keeping it real jam band style. Turn it down real low and it works like perfect background music, poppin up once and a while to make people say "good god, yall! whats this?"; Turn it up and no body stops moving. If you are a fan of any jazz, homwgrown jam bands, funk, or even techno or Eno-like ambient, this cd is a must have. One of my top 5 favorite cd's.

I've been searching for a consistent jam band for years now and now I've found one that has me very excited. You get exausted just listening to them. Is is funk? Is it fusion? Is it jazz? Is it psychedelic jam? I don't know, but I know I like it. Sector 9 from Georgia has all the chops; guitar, bass, drums, keyboards...no singer...just very long songs (6-15 mins each!)that at times will simply amaze you. It has been in my cd player since my friend in Atlanta sent it to me 2 months ago. Words can not do this album or this band's live music justice, so you'll have to take a chance and give them a shot. I promise that you will be running to let your friends listen to Interplanetary Escape Vehicle and you'll be proud to say you were the one who gave them their first taste. Quality. Thank you, Matt C.!

Hello -

I wanted to write this review b/c of previous ones which criticized the band's "Mushy" lack of tightness and repetitive qualities. I almost did not buy this CD because of those reviews, but I am glad I did.

I believe that the "Mushy" quality comes from the taping, not from the band.

It is as if the instruments were recorded on the same input level, who knows if this was intentional. It is a good thing b/c I think David Murphy is a decent bassist. And it is not such a bad thing with headphones, because the guitar is on the left, keyboards on the right.

But the drummer's hi-hat is very loud, and opens more frequently on higher energy jams, masking the conglomerate sounds with a loose 'splash'. It is a little too much, almost as if he had just finished reading a book on 'Pensacola's Funk Technique for the Hi-Hat'.

I actually think it would work if the audio engineer had toned down the drums from an 9 to a 2, and the keyboards from an 9 to a 5, if that makes sense. I do not think I have ever heard such a loud and busy hi-hat as the one played by Zach Velmer on this CD.

So the previous reviews criticize this band for sounding "mushy". I think that criticizing the band because of a 'poor' recording is like not tipping your waitress b/c the chef burnt your steak...just not her fault.

I do agree with the previous posts regarding repetition. In this recording, Sector 9 had a tendency to overplay the rhythmic tunes they developed. I would not exactly call them melodies. Imagine 3 bars of a tonal phrase, and on the fourth bar add a button. Frequently on this CD, Sector 9 did this several times to each phrase before starting a new one.

In a way the organized structure sounds too restrained. It is as if the band members have become trapped inside their own creation.

But this is such a subjective call, because I think this is a 70's/80's Rock-Jam philosophy, and if you listen to this CD, then I think you will understand what I mean.

In my humble opinion, Sector 9 is a really solid group, and I would gladly see them on stage. I would buy this CD again, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes instrumental jams, and 70's/80's Rock.

(sound tribe)Sector 9 is the best jam band that I came up to in recent light years.They have this kind of space travel journeys through the musical expression.I don't agree that repetition is their mark,yet unexpected changes might be.Once they hook you up to one rhythm and melody thing,they turn you on with a superb change that floats into another direction,but perfectly fit to what they were doing before.Very important thing is to say that if you haven't heard them live,then you can't judge at all.Their live recordings(although even albums are live too!) are like feeling of love all the time.This album is their first studio work and it is amasing,as they twisted the funk all around.My favourite is Hubble because that song really evoke acid trip on space travel.Other songs are great too,and all of them are total hits.Try them if you dare to explore.

I was first introduced to Sector 9 at a small bar in Chattanooga, TN called Jacob's Ladder. I was blown away by the sound these guys have. I could not wait to hear them again, and this album did not let me down. This album is a feel-good type with great bass lines and amazing percussions. I would definitely recommend it for someone in the mood for something a little different and uplifting.

Electronics sounds meet funky and soul,a powerful work for these four musicians, with a light jazz atmosphere.Interplanery escape vehicle is very good if you like groups as "Particle".

I'm a fan of the jambands and I really enjoy electronic music. I heard these guys were really influential so I bought this album. Most of the songs drag along on one riff and it gets really repetitive, especially when the drum fills don't come in right. That happens way too much on track one. "Four Year Puma" grabbed me because of some interesting bass playing but one good track is not enough, It doesn't sound to me like there was a lot of time put into this. There are electronic bands out there that use a main riff as the theme of a song but it sounds really good, they put more sounds into their music and the rhythym is tight. This rhythym on this album is loose, the person who said that it sounds "mushy" I think is right on. A lot of times it sounds like everyone is playing over each other. Try music from Tortoise or Slide Five.

I'm a fan of the jambands and I really enjoy electronic music. I heard these guys were really influential so I bought this album. Most of the songs drag along on one riff and it gets really repetitive, especially when the drum fills don't come in right. That happens way too much on track one. "Four Year Puma" grabbed me because of some interesting bass playing but one good track is not enough, It doesn't sound to me like there was a lot of time put into this. There are electronic bands out there that use a main riff as the theme of a song but it sounds really good, they put more sounds into their music and the rhythym is tight. This rhythym on this album is loose, the person who said that it sounds "mushy" I think is right on. A lot of times it sounds like everyone is playing over each other. Try music from Tortoise or Slide Five.

REVIEW

Songs (As rated by one to five stars, including halves.):

Moon Socket: 4.5/5

Hubble: 5/5

Wika Chikana: 4.5/5

H.B Walks to School 5/5

Four Year Puma: 5/5

Tap-In: 3.5/5

Quests: 5/5

Evasive Maneuvers: 4.5/5

My Score: 4.625/5 Stars (Rounded out to five)

This is mushy. It sounds like hospital food.