Album Details

• Artist: Iron Kim Style
• Album: Iron Kim Style
• Label: Moonjune
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2010-03-02

As "Mean Streets of Pyongyang" kicks in with balls-heavy funk bass and spare, muted trumpet, you'd swear you were listening to outtakes of Miles Davis, circa 1975. Guitarist Dennis Rea (Moraine) doing his damnedest to channel Pete Cosey completes the ode to heroes. That said, "Iron Kim Style" is not all "Someone Else's Style." What this is a solid, occasionally predictable avant-jazz set. Some noise, then some drone, then some jazz solos, then some chaos, then none. Few styles are more holy than Free Improvisation when done right; when not, it is music that manages to be totally improvised and totally derivative at the same time.

All of it is not predictable, though. "Po'Brief" has an emotional melody that is affecting, and "Adrift" has its "Hot Rats" moments of quirky grace. "Amber Waves of Migraine," despite the lame title, is a solid noir take. "Pachinko Malice" and "Jack Out the Kims" features some nice raw, jittery, DNA-esque guitar. Since this is all instrumental, the running jokes in the song titles (and, I guess, in their name) about North Korea and their diminutive dictator/god seem silly after awhile. We get it, he's a goofy little DEVIL, isn't he?

In all Iron Kim Style display quite an array of rock and jazz chops. Bill Jones' trumpet is the signature voice here, though a shout out to bassist Ryan Berg is due as well. Nerdy they may be in their delivery, Iron Kim Style has power to burn.

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