The addition of saxophone on this third album is particularly thrilling, bringing a jazzy vibe to tracks such as the transcendent “Vapaa Ja Autio”. Most likely Ville Rohiola’s drenched Hammond organ is the deciding factor but even the Finnish vocals have an important part to play in the final tally. It could be Jonni Tanskanen’s driving, hypnotic bass, or his rhythmic partner Juuso Jylhänlehto on drums. Mixing organ, mellotron, insistent bass lines, melodic guitar and woodwinds together with occasional languid vocal passages, it’s hard to say exactly which element is their secret weapon. This Finnish band weaves a thick, intoxicating atmosphere of aural bliss that is wonderfully addictive. Released in mid-December, Malady’s third album arrived under the radar, so it was a true pleasure to discover this fine release shortly after the holidays. Head over to their Bandcamppage and make the best $7 purchase you’ve made yet this year (or ever)…hell, throw in some extra bucks, too. Support independent artists such as Coevality and spread the word to your friends…talent such as this shouldn’t be left undiscovered. For fans of Brand X, Liquid Tension Experiment, Bozzio/Levins/Stevens, Holdsworth, Eric Johnson, or just a good old prog rock instrumental like “YYZ,” this is an absolute must-have. Hopefully the case has been made, underlined and highlighted: “Multiple Personalities” is an album you must own. Their decade-long hard work is our reward. How can this be? The band explains that this album was 10 years in the making, an “instrumental concept album that functions as one complete piece from front to back.” Yes, it begins to make sense that fruits as ripe as this often only result from such long-honed effort. And the deeper the listener goes with repeated listenings, the more addictive and satisfying the material becomes. Suffice to say, each of the subsequent 6 tracks is an indisputable standout, an album-highlight in its own right. Although it’s tempting to go down the track list and lavish praise on every song, that might just come off as hyperbole. As one of the most compact songs on the album, this is a perfect lead-off track and introduction to the band, a full-on showcase for Prado’s frenzied yet precise drumming while still allowing the other band members to shine gloriously. So, what of the compositions? Opener “ Light Bikes” wastes no time in displaying how effectively Coevality’s writing serves their talent. As if that weren’t enough, his trumpet playing and MIDI programming add just the right amount of ambience and color to take this far beyond a “power trio” context. He serves up a masterclass of technique and tricks on every piece here.
Reicher provides just the right amount of crunch when needed but overall his surprisingly clean tones ring brightly, showing off his virtuosic style with no distortion in the way to cover it up. Careening overhead is Jon Reicher whose 7-string and fretless guitars bring in the melodic sensibilities that provide meaning to all of these notes. Perhaps if Neil Peart had been more of a jazz drummer this is what he would have sounded like, but comparisons of any kind seem to do a disservice to an approach such as this. However, Elliott’s band-mates are clearly up to the task of matching his level of performance as Andy Prado’s drumming will literally evoke laughter of delight and disbelief. Derrick Elliott’s utter mastery of the instrument – on 6-string, 5-string and upright models – would dominate most any other band and honestly if you just focused on the bass performance alone this would be a revelatory album of 2021. The fretless bass absolutely dazzles throughout, starting 3 seconds into the first track. Jazz fusion meets prog with a touch of math rock, but perhaps a little bit better than any of those classifications would suggest. Flawless instrumental brilliance is displayed on every track in truly jaw-dropping performances. Surely the cream of the crop of don’t-miss albums – which nearly everyone did indeed miss – this debut album from the Los Angeles trio named Coevality is perhaps the best 2021 band you’ve never heard of.
Enjoy these Sonic Briefs: Coevality – Multiple Personalities (Independent)
In that spirit, we offer you 4 excellent releases in the prog-rock category from 2021 that should not pass you by! The first is an instrumental tour-de-force while the subsequent three all share an orientation towards heady, psych-prog. Just a week or two after the Best Of lists are published, we often belatedly discovery a mind-blowing release that absolutely would have been on our list if only we had known. It happens every year – we receive so much music to listen to that some gems inevitably slip through our fingers.
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