Album Details

• Artist: Little Women
• Album: Throat
• Label: Aum Fidelity
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2010-03-02

Given that the band's name is Little Women, you might expect something just a little lighter than the fare offered on "Throat." However, from the first tortured horn blast, backed up ably by crashing drums and a guitar "riff" straight outta my first guitar lesson in 5^th grade, and you know you will have to work to get handle on this one. A quartet lead by saxophonists Travis LaPlante (Tenor) and Darius Jones (Alto), Little Women channels Mothers, Ayler, and the swirling, cinematic buildup of those "dramatic" vignettes on the old Banana Splits show. The Brooklyn band's debut, "Throat" is a seven part suite of mayhem, most noisy, unpredictable and frantic, though "II" has an eerie metallic drone that will remain memorable, and "IV" is an aching sonic missive that Eric Satie might wish to have stolen for himself.

Guitarist Andrew Smiley and drummer Jason Nazary recover from their spasms early in the suite to prove themselves more than able to wade in and out of noise, jazz and Adrian Belew worship quite adeptly.

Free, fearless sounds abound on "Throat." Little Women fits well with the improv types on Aum Fidelity, but has a punch and odd joy to their assault that contrasts nicely with the label's stable of spiritual seekers. Little Women aim for bliss, but will be wearing silly pants when they get there.

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