It's Understood

Estradasphere | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mimicry
• ASIN: B00004U9MN
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,115 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly technical music of a vast kaleidoscopic range, August 24, 2003

By 

"organgrinderlv" (Sin City, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Understood (Audio CD)

Metal kids - remember the first time you heard Opeth and realized songs over 20 minutes could be good and non-repetetive at the same time? Jazz kids - remember the first time you got a Coltrane album that was a fast as those tracks you heard on the college radio station but could never remember the names of? This album instills that sense of awe and feeling of 'I never knew I was looking for this...but I've found it and now can't live without it!'

This album is pure and intesne music-nerd highly-technical insanely earnest music. Some describe it as hyper-jazz-gypsy-metal-funk, and as such it draws frequent comparisons to Mr. Bungle. This is true, but Estradasphere, at least on this album, is a work of more grinding riff-heavy instrumentation than Bungle or other 'weird' bands, with a more metal than rock sensibility. What does that mean? Sparse vocals used more for ambiance than as a seperate instument, riff after riff after riff of amazingly complex and energetic musicianship, and the need to just bust out of a lull in loudness into a raging cacophony of blasting grind. This album's first and last songs are my personal favorites, but the entire album is a complete experience and takes the listener on a truly epic voyage. The klezmer-gypsy-jazz sound is the root of this album, but it feverishly and very much tounge-in-cheek-ly shifts to extreme metal, funk, folk, hillbilly country, soft jazz/new age, alt-rap, soundtracks, very convincing original 8 and 16-bit video game compositions, and back again.

Thier live shows are amazing, and so is thier next album. These guys are nothing short of genius. Fans of avant-intelli-music with a passion for metal are garunteed to have a new obsession. If you liked Mr. Bungle more for the music than for the vocals, this is the band for you (other than SC3). Oh yes, these guys inbred with Bungle and SC3 in various ways too complex to map out here. Just get it if you are interested by this review. It's Understood IS THAT GOOD.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gypsy meets metal meets jazz meets video games..... and more, June 26, 2001

By 

Karl (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Understood (Audio CD)

This is the first album from the beloved boy band -Estradasphere. The main instruments on the album are drums, guitar (clean and metal), banjo, bass, violin, and saxaphone. The first track begins with a fast gypsy lick, which tears into the twenty minutes of odd-time mayhem that is Hungerstrike. If you think you're in heaven, you are, but it gets even better. My favorite part of the album is The Princes of Xibalba, which is comprised of four songs- "The Princes"- an energized exposition which introduces the main themes, "Los Dias Sin Dias"- a slow, mournful movement which expresses the sadness of the weekends with no "Days of our Lives", "XQiuQ"- a bizarre-sounding song that is incredibly complex in rhythm and melody, and "Hunnahpu and Xbalanque"- Similar to "the Princes", but its is more drawn out and "jammy," and at the same time it incorporates themes from "XQiuQ." Other highlights include "Randy's Desert Adventure"- a compostion which mixes a heavy metal rhythm section with fast melodies on sax and violin. "The Transformation"- as the name suggests, you never know what style they will change to next in this song, and it ends with a drum solo which displays the incredible talent of drummer David Murray. The album also plays around with video game songs, bluegrass, and new age, while cutting back to metal whenever necessary. Estradasphere is great because they can play so many styles without it sounding like they are cut-and-pasting it together. They are the ideal band.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If I could only give more than 5 stars....., November 27, 2001

By 

"vaccum" (Music Land, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Understood (Audio CD)

...I'd give it a 10!
This (the first release from Estradasphere) has got to be one of my all time favorites. The album opens with the 20 min. opus 'Hunger Strike', a song which spans over most all ranges ov musical styles(including, but not limited to: Death metal, gypsy, classical, rock, pop.....etc.)and it's all here waiting for you to listen. Go see Estradasphere live and see the spectical for yourself (. . .) Keep the disease alive!!