•
Rating:
THE REVIEW
"In The Fishtank" is a project by Konkurrent, an independent music distributor in the Netherlands. In this collection, Konkurrent invites musicians from different backgrounds with whom they feel a strong connection to record. The artists are given two days in the studio and the freedom to do whatever they prefer musically. The Fishtank offers a space for expression and experimentation. The results can vary but are always surprising.
This small Dutch label's project is an oasis that should be protected by European Parliament law, just by reading the names of the artists who participated in the first 13 chapters…
1 NoMeansNo
2 Guv’ner
3 Tassilli Players
4 Snuff
5 Tortoise + The Ex
6 June Of 44
7 Low + The Dirty Three
8 The Willard Grant Conspiracy + Telefunk
9 Sonic Youth + The Ex + I.C.P.
10 Motorpsycho + Jagga Jazzist Horns
11 The Black Heart Procession + Solbakken
13 Solex + M.A.E.
Clearly, aside from the protagonists of this twelfth episode… Karate.
Geoff Farina and his associates were invited to E-Sound in July 2004 and, as per the rule, they left after two days of recording with eight tracks ready… a chosen characteristic: performing eight covers that, according to the leader himself, critically speak about America, in some way… thus "Strange Fruit" by Billy Holiday and "This Ain’t No Picnic" by the Minutemen are completely stripped of their original dressing to be tailored anew in the typical jazzy style of the Boston trio. The same fate befalls "Tears Of Rage" by Dylan or "Need A Job" by Beefeater, as well as "A New Jerusalem" by Mark Hollis or the other three numbers "stolen" from the Minutemen… "The Only Minority", "Colors", and "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs".
Not knowing what else to add myself, I let the words used in the booklet to present the work close this… enjoy the listening.
"Despite the variety of characters, all the songs fit Karate perfectly, surprisingly like a second skin, compared to what they were originally."
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
Karate's In The Fishtank 12 is an experimental album featuring eight cover songs reinterpreted in the band's signature jazzy style. Recorded in just two days, the album offers a fresh and thoughtful take on American-themed classics by artists like Billy Holiday, Minutemen, and Dylan. The project showcases Karate's ability to make diverse songs fit their unique sound effortlessly. It's praised as a creative and surprising addition to the respected In The Fishtank series.Tracklist
Karate
Karate are an American band from Boston formed in the early 1990s by Geoff Farina with Gavin McCarthy, Jeff Goddard, and (earlier) Eamonn Vitt. They fused indie rock with jazz and blues phrasing across acclaimed releases like Karate, In Place of Real Insight, Unsolved, Some Boots, and Pockets, disbanding in 2005 and reuniting for shows in 2022.10 Reviews
