We’ve heard all about those famous bands without bassists (Yeah, Yeah Yeahs / White Stripes); now give it up for a ground-breaking rock band sans guitars - or keyboards. The prodigious duo known as Clatter returns with a groovy sophomore effort that once again blurs the boundaries of metal, punk, progressive, avant-garde, and funk. Bassist / vocalist Amy Humphrey provides the harmony, drummer Joe Hayes is the groove monster. Together they are a force to be reckoned with. With a laundry list of sound effects at her disposal plus virtuoso technique, Humphrey’s bass morphs into a billion baffling sonic variations. Hayes is evocative of the iconic jazz, rock and fusion drummers of yore (think Billy Cobham, Billy Kreutzmann, Elvin Jones). “Nighttime,” an otherworldly cut which commences as a ballad then picks up steam for the choruses displays Clatter at their most melodic as Humphrey’s angelic double-tracked vocals drift over the din of fuzzy bass patterns and skittering percussive passages. Addressing various social and political issues, Clatter taps a few choice guests (Jazz Ad, Prof. Tom Burke, Grant Sharkey, Karl Evans) for spoken word vignettes to punctuate their message of peace, love and understanding - and environmentalism. The only misstep is a blunt cover of Rush’s “Limelight” - though it’s pretty impressive by way of the duo’s dexterous delivery. Still a little rough around the edges, I’d really love to hear this band in the hands of A-list producers such as Butch Vig, Steve Albini, Brian Eno, and Bob Rock.
~ Tom Semioli
