Imagine walking the streets of NYC and you're a Dick; a Private Dick. Steam fills the streets and danger lurks around every corner, but ultimately we know our man will solve the crime and bag the dame.
That's the impression I get from "On the Other Hand," the opening track of "Passing By" by El Paso's one-man-band, Nicholas Matta, performing as Aux.78. "On the Other Hand" evokes seventies sonic experimentation with a groove and auto-wah.
[It's always interesting to ponder what's going through a composer's head when he names an instrumental. The narrator in the original Fantasia always freaked me out when he was talking about how this composition tells a story and that composition is music for music's sake. All music conveys mood, emotion, action, perhaps ultimately the human spirit. I suppose for the composer it's a matter of intent, but for the listener, what's in a name?]
"Passing By" is an epic collection of predominately instrumental explorations of style and sound. Matta will often lay down a beat and build upon it with a number of interesting guitar and synthesizer sounds - both traditional and new - that keeps the listener intrigued. While more ethereal than exhilarating, this is a well done, thoughtful effort.
"Everything for Sale" is "The Song Remains the Same" meets "Live and Let Die." "Light Refracting Time" has a rocking Indian-fused-with-progressive feel and is a highlight. "Thanks Eek," presumably referring to Eek-a-Mouse, is a reggae/ska tribute. [Check out the Skatalites some time, one of the few bands that makes cornball cool.] I dig the "Pro-cras-ti-nAAA-tion" vibe of "Delays and Evacuations."
Matta has the potential to make waves as a composer and "Passing By" is an intriguing set. He has a great command of a number of instruments - he doesn't overplay the drums for the most part, and throws in cool little bits like the sax tones on the opening track. But I'd like to see him flesh out his tunes a bit more. There could be more variation on his themes. Instrumentals can suffer with repetition where traditional songs can get away with it as people tend to listen to the singing. And I may be missing the boat here, but for my taste, some of the tunes could use a bit more heft in the heavier passages to give it more dynamic range.
One thing's for certain, I'll never be able to walk the streets of New York without humming the bass and sax lines to "On the Other Hand" again.
--The Grouch
