Customer Reviews

Special Album

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

 

 

Ralph Myerz and The Jack Herren Band is a live band first and foremost. In fact that is how they got started. Ralph Myerz is a DJ based in Bergen and was doing a live gig at a festival and asked two friends (percussions and drums) to join him. This is the result of that event. They've recently been touring with a 4th member on guitar/bass and my instincts tell me he will be joining soon. So a DJ doing all the master track electro stuff, one guy (I'd like to call him animal, from the muppet show) on percussion and one on drums. With the occasional guitar/bass player. It's a lovely blend of electronica/jazz/rock/downtempo, extremely refreshing. And features a very catchy tune called Think Twice I can't stop listening to. Norwegian TV has an hour live from the Quart festival hosted online, you ought to check it out, they put on a heck of a live show. If not by this album it is fantastic!

I absolutely loooove this album!!! From the funky acid jazz on "Think Twice," to the 60s retro go-go of "Casino," to the bohemian soul of "You Never Come Closer" to the reggae sounds of "Savannah", Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herrin Band have truly created "A Special Album" for me. The boys from Norway really know how to jam and, oh, do they jam well, and in most cases--hard!! Every song on here is action-packed and original in sound and design. With actual instrumentation and a playful feel to the entire album, Ralph and the boys are sure to be the hit at every party!

A flash back to the 4x4 disco beats, blasting work on the skins mixed with trance samples and touching manipulation of the organ,brings this album to the surface. Truly I must say I have not been this leveled in quite a spell.
The organ work really comes alive on "Think Twice". Ray Charles may never have sounded this trendy, but the oragan work on this club-like anthem is sweet.
Ralph Myerz and the Jack Harren Band have a lot to live up to for the sequel.

Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band give us a hidden gem of a downtempo album. A SPECIAL ALBUM carries on the Scandanavian tradition of crackling good music, from the ghostly Slavic voice on "Nikita" to the sad and plaintative "You Never Come Closer." "Think Twice" throws in some mellow funk. Some well-placed dub influences appear as well, from the quiet echoes to accompany the whistling on "A Special Morning" to the full-on reggae rhythms of "Savannah." "Funky Bizness" has a disco polish to it, while "Lullaby" finishes out the album with a cool moodiness underlaid with a toe-tapping beat before giving way to some long string pulls and a horn chorus. Special, indeed!

Despite all of the funny sounding tags used by reviewers to describe the music contained on this album what it, and much of the stuff that these peeps are trying to describe, is really just elevator music albeit directed at the coolest amongst us. You won't soon weary of listening to this album because, quite frankly, you prolly won't listen to it; just put it on in the background and go on about your business whether it be working on your next conquest or simply playing around on the amazon website. The tunes on this album are good, clean harmless time-killing fun that I analogize to a new brand of lemongrass flavor novelty soft drink that I drank yesterday. I got a kick out of tasting it, of course, but at the end of the day it were really just flavored fizzy water.

A Special Album is quite easily a staple album for anyones music library. The surreal tones and complex layers in the bands sound shift and sway with such ease that one may find themself dreaming with the music. "Think Twice" is easily the highlight of the album, building both the complex musical nature of the group while still maintaining good structure. The light dance tempos and relaxing overtones make it a very colorful track. The other two major ear-candy are "Casino," which is an organ infused retro ride into smooth jazz electronica vegas, and "A Special Morning;" a sensual yet sleepy walk of nostalgia. This album is a great addition to any collection, and this a group to keep a close eye on for future production and collaboration.

This was the classic example of an impulse buy for me: it was playing in the store at the time, and I thought it was pretty groovy. Can't say I'll be listening to this one in a year or so, but there are a few solid pop tunes on here: #2, #3, and #4 come to mind. However, there are some clunky throwaways also, like #7 and #8. Not terribly challenging, but some nice songs to add to a cd mix.

Someone - it was either Phillip Glass or Britney Spears - once exclaimed "Pop music is the hardest stuff in the world to make!" That's certainly not a problem for the Ralph Myerz gang, who effortlessly spin yards of such catchy enticements on their A Special Album (a follow up to last year's EP).

Whipping up cheery lounge with a good dollup of mellow electronics, and a definite knack for memorable hooks, has certainly been done before. Elevating this work above such disposable kitsch is their delightfully detailed drums, layers of varied percussion popping within each piece for added depth.

But then again, that's analyzing too hard, certainly not the point here. "Casino" practically leaps off an Ocean 11 sequel soundtrack, a jaunty tell-all of Vegas piping with keyboards, "do-do" chorus, and cheeky dialogue for good measure. "Think Twice" has it all: squelchy keys to a bobbing bassline, Christine Sandtorv hinting, " maybe we oughta think twice, before we start something nice." Irresistible, and surely coming to an advert near you.

Playing it straight, "Here is Love" and "You Never Come Closer" lope along with all the requisite retro-organ touches and twinkles, and occasional lullaby vocals. "A Special Morning" adding a whistle for a western country nod. Experimenting gets them in trouble, as "Feel It's" smoked-out quirkiness and kr-azy horn scratching drops like a Fatboy Slim thud, as does "Savannah's" jarring trip-hop chanting thing.

Which is certainly acceptable for a bunch of Norway chaps with obvious potential for future delights. Not a great album, then, but the tag A Special Debut fits reasonably well.