By
the time the trumpets enter the picture halfway through the opening
track of Tenki's new EP, the listener has been enveloped by
atmosphere. On top of muted drums and guitar come layers of gentle
keyboards - and are those voices harmonizing with the organ? Hints
of gull-like string sounds suggest the ocean.
The trumpets turn everything upside down, adding a mariachi flavor. Then the guitar gets agitated and begins to bellow over the trumpet, and the whole thing builds to a climax before eventually calming itself down.
The phenomenon repeats itself again and again over the six tracks of We're Not Talking About the Universe, Are We (#1), the first of a planned two-EP set. (The second half is due this fall from the Chicago sextet.) The intrusion of some new element isn't typically as dramatic as the horns in the opening "Etaples," but it always upsets the equilibrium of the song and propels it in a new direction.
On "Big Bang," a moaning guitar dies down, revealing the trumpet and then replaced by a meaty arena-rock riff. On "Universe (Parts I & II)," it's a Ray Manzarek keyboard bit imported from a Doors song.
The release of escalated tension is, of course, nothing new, but in Tenki's hands it represents the fusion of progressive rock from the 1970s and modern-rock sensibilities; the band updates some prog-rock motifs and folds them into coherent songs instead of sprawling multi-part suites. (Singer Jamie Toal even sounds like Peter Gabriel in his early-'70s Genesis days, particularly on "Universe.")
It works, because while the new elements aren't always properly foreshadowed, they're not so unusual or out-of-place that they jar the listener. Often, the change provides a jolt of adrenaline just when the song needs it.
Produced by the band and Pat Stolley, and released on the local Future Appletree label, We're Not Talking About the Universe, Are We: (#1) has funk, swagger, and playfulness in abundance, and the band wears them well. The horns and inviting keyboards add a depth of sound and a more-human warmth that balances but does not diminish the muscular rock and roll.
It helps that the songs are generally rooted in familiar feelings and rock textures, making them immediately accessible. That base familiarity grounds each track, preventing it from becoming merely an exercise in cleverness or oddity.
Where the EP falters is in its predictability. It follows the build-and-explode formula on four of the six tracks, and it begins to feel routine. "The Hook & Cycle" and "The Test" surprise with their even keels , and the spare latter song features subdued beats, a lightly throbbing bass, and some haunted-house effects, but it's not quite enough variety. Even over the course of only 31 minutes, We're Not Talking About the Universe ... mines the same terrain just a bit too often.
For more information on Tenki, visit (http://www.tenkimusic.com).
