On Mike Polizze‘s latest album, Around Sound, Polizze intentionally brought a new emphasis on acoustic fingerpicking to his music. In his review of the album, Danny Neill notes:
You would be forgiven for thinking that Mike Polizze has been ploughing this fertile ground for years, harvesting the fields so often walked by the likes of Steve Gunn or, even earlier, Bert Jansch. But no, this is something of a departure for the former front man of Philadelphia psych rockers Purling Hiss who also played guitar in Birds Of Maya, a proto-metal band whose distorted hardcore blend of aggressive rock was played at ear drum lacerating volume, so much so that pretty much all their recordings sound like the mixing desk was vibrating in the red from the word go. Look beyond that thunderous cacophony, however, and Mike’s mastery of the guitar is plain to witness. And sometimes, when a previously electric specialist applies the same technique to an acoustic setting, the resulting music can have an energy and fluidity quite distinct from that of other similar purveyors.
This emphasis couldn’t be clearer on this beautifully intricate and liberating instrumental outtake from the album recording sessions, titled “Improvs 1.” The track is described in the release notes by Ryan Davis (who Polizze is touring with this December), as “…a beautifully tense, peacefully unrelaxed, low-key sizzler of an instrumental track that shines bright enough to blind your brain for a brief moment before refocusing your vision, resettling your ears, and starting the whole goddamn album over from the top. Think of it not as an addendum but as a spirited intermission for repeated relistening!”
Absolutely!
Mike Polizze Tour Dates
8/17 Philadelphia, PA (record release show) @ Johnny Brenda’s w/ Silver Synthetic & Lo Five
9/6 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
12/9 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s +
12/10 Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket S.H.+
12 /11 Toronto, ON @ The Garrison +
12 /12 Detroit, MI @ Lager House +
12/13 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle +
+ = w/ Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band