Karate

Item: Pockets
Author: Justin Brinker

Pockets

(2004)

Reviewed by Justin Brinker

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Label Southern RecordsDecapolisOctober 2004

indie rock jazz rock math rock

Let me start off this review with saying that I have never really been a fan of jazz, blues, or even jazz influenced music. Go ahead call me close-minded or lacking in culture but for some reason there is just something about it that strikes me as mundane. So when I received Karate's E.P. Pockets needless to say I was a bit perplexed on how to review it due to my lack of knowledge in this department. If it was Karate's intention to make fans out of those who could care less about this musical genre, well, then they accomplished what they set out to do.

For those of us that are uneducated, me included, Karate has been putting out records for over a decade. Their latest offering Pockets is a bit of independent rock that is hard to pin down. From the airy drums to the shifty bass lines this Boston based three-piece seems to have found an almost perfect balance.

"With Age" a lazy, upbeat opener has so little going on in it musically, with the exception of a guitar solo, yet manages to keep the listener interested and before the song is over humming along. The playful "Tow Truck" and "The State I'm In" aka "Goode Buy From Cobbs Creek Park" break up the darker tones to Pockets without sounding forced or trite.

Arguably the best song on Pockets is the beautiful "Pines" that continues in the theme of simplicity with just clean guitar parts and Farina's vocals that float effortlessly but never bore the listener. "Concrete" the album's closer and the longest song on the record at over eight minutes has more of a rock feel and is one of the few tracks that uses distortion towards the end of the song.

Although the lazy vocals of Geoff Farina can get tiresome and musically it has a very simplistic feel this is still a strong album. Even if you hate jazz or blues don't let that shy you away from hearing this. Karate blends jazz and indie rock without compromising either genre for a very enjoyable listen.

3/4