mega cat is a new instrumental collaboration by Aaron Benson (drums, percussion, guitar), Kim West (piano and synthesizer) and Ryan Devlin (bass and guitar). For live performances, the band is joined by Dave Dederer (Presidents of the United States of America) on guitar. Ryan and Kim both play in the Seattle-based band Smokey Brights. mega cat release their self-titled debut album this month
The album opens with `Rat Fight` which has a kind of seventies funk come prog like vibe with synth keys, guitars, flutes, and percussion that sounds like djembe, bongo, or conga drums. A wonderfully trippy affair. Although the title came from a couple of members of the band viewing a fight between two rats on a neighbour`s lawn. There`s a kind of dreaminess maybe reflection on `Worm Rider` which may refer to those who mastered the skill of calling, climbing, and riding a Sandworm of Arrakis from Dune a 1965 epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, more recently made into a number of films.
`Celebrate with Port!` is a statement i`m all behind and must admit I do like the occasional glass of this fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. Here it`s a jazzy, ethereal almost trance like piece with some delightful double bass before veering off into a much more orchestrated sounding vibe. It kind of flits between both throughout it`s lifespan. Sarah Jeanette Connor is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Terminator franchise, and we enjoy a couple of numbers with her name referenced. `Ballad of Sarah Connor pt. 1` and `Ballad of Sarah Connor pt. 2`. There`s a kind of Sci-fi ambience to the former, a gentle thoughtful piece that weaves in and out although the last ninety second becomes much more of a dystopian aural landscape. The latter track is more transcendental and more hopeful with keys, intricate guitar chords and a guiding drum beat offering hope for a brighter future.
A rolling rhythmic drumbeat leads us into and through `Don’t You Ever Get the Creeps-` which does have a slight sense of unease about it but became much more contemplative as it evolved. We enjoy an occasional snippet of a statement of “How Do You Feel?” shared with “Ok” repeated sequentially at the death.
`Good Newts` is a fusion of nu jazz and an up tempo beat with trumpets and trombones sliced through giving a sense of uplifting joy. I`m not sure what the title `KRA1 (origin story`) refers to but an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist. It may be a radio station or superhero and only mega cat will know but the number is a pretty mesmerising rhythmic listen that kind of draws you into its musical web.
`Cool Adult` closes this opus out and it’s a stylish, sophisticated composition that is meant for those warm Summer afternoons and long evenings chilling with friends, drinking and shooting the breeze.
I have to say I revelled in this thirty odd minutes from mega cat. It reminded me of when I first heard the Polish nu jazz outfit Skalpel in a bar in Wroclaw and fell in love with their music.
I have to say I can`t wait to hear more from Kim, Ryan and Aaron, the cool cats who make mega cat purr.
Rating 9 /10
