Mikel Dimmick Spiral Joy Band: Lullabies for Jeff Dean

Media: CD
Out of stock

Debut CD by this long running but until now undocumented Virginia group. Founded in 2001 by Pelt members Mikel Dimmick and Mike Gangloff with Karl Precoda (Last Days of May, The Dream Syndicate), the Joy Band concentrates on live performances featuring marathon unorthodox drone treatises for acoustic instruments, including Tibetan singing bowl, gong, sruti, and esraj. The bowed, rolled, and (usually) gently struck metal percussion anchors the sound with rich, resonating tones. The music is a cousin to Pelt's explorations on (Untitled) (vhf#90) and Keyhole & Keyhole II (both on Eclipse). Lullaby 1 is almost entirely built on the gongs and bowls, a slowly building narcoleptic trip. The 41 minute epic Lullaby 2 begins with Gangloff on esraj, building up a trance before the shenais and sharply struck gongs take over at the climax of the piece. Lullaby 3 throws some surprisingly melodic and active piano into the mix, evoking a long-form version of Popol Vuh's "Die Nacht Der Seele."

Lullabies for Jeff Dean Reviews

• Hi, boys and girls! Do you like long, deep, heavy-duty instrumental jams? I know I do. (Mundane Sounds)
• ... it's with great excitement that I see ... (Broken Face)
• The Spiral Joy Band was formed in 2001 as a hook up ... (Terrascope)