Polyphonic Exophilia – Love! Liberty! Resistance!

Polyphonic Exophilia – Love! Liberty! Resistance! – Album Review

Ha!  Put that on your fridge magnet!  Or wall-hanger-thingamabob.  I don’t know what they call all that home décor type stuff…but you get what I mean – Love! Liberty Resistance wins the battle against Live, Laugh, Love.  You know, if we’re comparing…that’s all I’m saying.  Otherwise these two phrases should be allies.

Anyhow.  Polyphonic Exophilia!  Back again.  You might be old enough to remember when I reviewed them way back on July 25^th for their brand-new single “Make Truth Dangerous Again.”  Well I’ve got some news for you.  They were holding out on ya.  Holding out a whole other album as it turns out, which is scheduled to be released on August 15^th!  That’s like, right around the proverbial corner y’all.

Continuing to celebrate the joy of making music as an act of resistance against all the bullshit we’re being currently exposed to collectively around the globe via politics & those in charge of governments and such.  Yes, we’re all looking at YOU in the USA more than the rest, but isn’t that also exactly what you want from us?  Gross.  “We Are The Quiet You Forgot To Fear” gets the atmosphere movin’ and groovin’ with brilliantly rubbery bass lines, a charismatic saxophone, inventive percussion, cosmic guitar work, and an upbeat demeanor that is sure to catch people’s attention.  What I think people will really appreciate as they listen, is that for as serious as the PPXP collective takes their instrumentation and indeed their roles as proud disruptors this time around, the music itself doesn’t feel like you have to be on that same level to enjoy it.  As in, no matter how much work and effort they put into what they do in behind the scenes, they try equally hard to make sure that we don’t hear their labors on the other side of the speakers, and that we can just be free to enjoy the results and have fun while we’re listening.  It all goes a long way at the end of the day – I appreciate the effort they put in.  “We Are The Quiet You Forgot To Fear” is the right kind of upbeat first impression that helps us relax in these tumultuous times.

“We Were Not Sent By Kings, But By Thunder,” they say – and who would I be to disagree?  No kings!  No tyrants!  And you know what?  I’d almost be happy to settle for no bullshit and no more gaslighting.  Wouldn’t that be nice?  You get the picture though – these supernatural musical all-stars are born of the same ether as the universe itself…or at least perhaps Zeus.  Alright, it’s probably just a clever title, and I don’t really know what they actually mean by “We Were Not Sent By Kings, But By Thunder” if you’re looking for a literal translation…but I do like the theories I’ve put out there for ya.  I’m also not the right guy to tell you WHAT it is I like about the timing of something I listen to…my brain puts everything into counts of four no matter how awkward of a fit it might be – so all I can tell ya is that whatever PPXP is doing on “We Were Not Sent By Kings, But By Thunder” uses the cleverness of timing to their advantage and produces a seamless result that’s as innovative as it is interesting to listen to.  This is one of those cuts that, even when we’re living in a world FILLED with a whole lot of music from Polyphonic Exophilia, this particular song possesses the kinds of differences required for it to be memorable, even when it’s compared to the rest of what this band has to offer.  It’s tough…you end up with instrumental music, it’s all Jazz-based, largely improvisational…it’s tough for the average everyday listener to be able to separate one cut from the other, unless you’re making things decisively different like they have here.  There are wonderfully tangible hooks in this song as well that make it fully accessible to everyone that listens to it.

I am certainly impressed by “We Were Ghosts Until The Sun Named Us” as well.  This is another perfect example of how PPXP can make really smart decisions when morphing their sound.  Like, for example – with how this band is so built and centered around the joy of creation, that doesn’t mean everything has to come out sounding all happy-happy all the time – you can still diversify things greatly, and “We Were Ghosts Until The Sun Named Us” is a prime example of that.  Built on an arguably deeper, maybe even darker sound to some, “We Were Ghosts Until The Sun Named Us” explores the depths of their own versatility to brilliant effect.  The keyboards in particular, have been outstanding on the last couple of songs – I thought they played an essential role on “We Were Not Sent By Kings, But By Thunder,” and I’m essentially just as partial to them on “We Were Ghosts Until The Sun Named Us” as well.  What I love about this song perhaps more-so than anything else is that, even if you want to describe this as deeper or darker or whatever it is you think it is – they didn’t compromise one iota of that joy that they communicate to us so well through their music.  You can HEAR this band having an absolutely AMAZING time playing this song, and who wouldn’t?  It sounds like so much fun to play “We Were Ghosts Until The Sun Named Us,” and every time it came back around since I’ve been listening to Love! Liberty! Resistance! over this past couple weeks, I’d be convinced that this was my favorite cut on the record.

Yeah.  There are substantial breakthroughs being made here on this album from Polyphonic Exophilia, and it’s awesome to be able to hear that happen without them having to make any major compromises that would jeopardize what we all love so much about this highly inventive and ambitious crew.  “We Took No Oath But The Road” is another cut that that confirms how into it the band themselves are right now.  Trust me, these guys are locked right into the creative process with their full focus, and it’s something you can hear in the way these songs have come out in the end results.  Because I’m tellin’ ya, I don’t care who you are, whether it’s an artist or a band, you can hear the ups/downs in any career as you’re listening to their body of work.  Even the best of us get tired at times, or we’re distracted, or simply not as into it as we potentially could be – but what you’re hearing on Love! Liberty! Resistance! sounds like a band that is absolutely stoked for the next opportunity to make music together again, whenever that arises.  Is it the lifeblood of their new bass player Churrogreen?  It might very well be.  You’d have to ask them…but what I’m hearing in PPXP is a band that’s been reinvigorated.  They’re playing with purpose and intention, and it’s really yielding some impressive results.  “We Took No Oath But The Road” is another cut that speaks strongly to what they can do when they concentrate on their signature sound, and the album overall represents the focus being placed on what makes them unique.  So it’s cool to have the occasional cut like “We Are The Quiet You Forgot To Fear” or “We Took No Oath But The Road” that reminds you of where they’ve been, while the others show you where they can go.

“We Broke Bread With Wolves And Called Them Brothers” has flair to it.  A bit of a deeper vibe when it comes to how the low-end plays a role, but they’ve wisely added some higher-end parts along the surface, which creates a really well-balanced dish for our ears to eat.  This was probably the track where I felt things become a little less engaging and a bit more relaxed by comparison…none of which has to be a bad thing whatsoever, but yeah…”We Broke Bread With Wolves And Called Them Brothers” felt like it didn’t quite have the same amount of enticing spark to it when it came to the hooks in the music.  The PPXP collective is still playing it very well – it’s the performance that’ll sell you on this particular track more than any of its pieces along the way, in my opinion.  They trade in a bit of innovation for the safety of repetition and familiarity here, but again, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.  Think of it this way – a lot of musicians would listen to a track like “We Broke Bread With Wolves And Called Them Brothers” and consider that to be the sound of musicians playing ‘in the pocket’ – and they wouldn’t be wrong about that.  Sure, it ends up being more of a static type of structure that leans way heavier on repetition & such, but if the groove they’re in is a groove you love, then this track would completely appeal to you.

Impressive even to LOOK at it!  I didn’t know that Polyphonic Exophilia even knew tracks of only 3:16 in length existed before!  This band is way more apt to usually create cuts that are pretty darn lengthy, so to hear them reign things in a little…I mean…I think it’s a good move when it comes to convincing the ears of the masses to dig in and give’em a shot.  Because that’s the real challenge here, from my perspective.  I think anyone out there that has a listen to Polyphonic Exophilia will pretty much instantly find a reason or two to like or to love’em, but convincing folks that Jazz is something they want, or that longer songs are what they’ll be into…both of these things can be a tough sell.  But when you put on a song like “Silence Was Never Neutral,” and you hear the collective character and charisma in the music and the way that these cosmic cats play together…c’mon now…you know you’ll be back for another round and/or willing to check out what else they create.  Love the way the saxophone and guitar interact together as “Silence Was Never Neutral” gets underway – this is a groove-intense kind of cut that is bound to get your body moving…they make the kind of music that people feel – this song is proof.

All that good stuff being said…C’MON Y’ALL – can you HEAR what I was talkin’ about?  You put on “We Burned The Flag Because Fire Tells The Truth” and tell me that’s not a track you can feel flow right into your soul!  For myself personally, this is a cut that definitely gives “We Were Ghosts Until The Sun Named Us” a good run for its money as my favorite track on the record – this is some of the best stuff I’ve heard from Polyphonic Exophilia, and I’m seriously happy for the band in how much innovative and interesting gold they’ve stuck in mining the music for this album.  “We Burned The Flag Because Fire Tells The Truth” is a prime example of how they’re so stunning capable of creating these large structures of songs, but have each individual part stand out for its contribution while still sounding like they are playing together as a band, which of course, they are.  But you know what I mean?  It’s like, you can totally dissect each individual part and make that the main focus of how you listen to a track like this, and you’ll get a whole lot out of it if you do – but you’ll also notice how that seems to make it all the more impressive that they play together so cohesively too.  It’s like you’d imagine all these individual parts would somehow come to a point where the intersection of their layers would create an awkward fit of some kind, yet this band seamlessly rolls along like they could do what they do every single day.

It’s a great spot to arrive to on the album really.  Between the immense strengths of “We Burned The Flag Because Fire Tells The Truth,” and what’s arguably an equally strong song in “We Baptized The Engines In Oil And Ash,” I think we can all at least draw to the conclusion of this being the best back-to-back tracks on Love! Liberty! Resistance!.  At least in my opinion…but yeah…hopefully you share it.  What I absolutely love about “We Baptized The Engines In Oil And Ash” is that honestly, you really don’t hear Polyphonic Exophilia in this type of mid-tempo gear or producing slower jams all that much – and I think that’d definitely be an avenue I’d recommend they continue to explore.  Part of that assessment is based on what I hear in “We Baptized The Engines In Oil And Ash,” but there are a few other tracks throughout their catalog I could cite in support of this as well.  They’ve really got their own thing goin’ on, which certainly makes it tempting to do the whole upbeat, joyous sound combination that has worked out so well for them – but tracks like “We Baptized The Engines In Oil And Ash” really speak to what they can accomplish in a whole different gear.  Personally, I found this track meditative, contemplative…thought provoking…relaxing, calm, serene…all of these good things – so why wouldn’t I want to encourage them to go down this road even more when it’s clearly the road they’ve traveled less with their music so far to-date?  I think they’ve got something wonderful here on “We Baptized The Engines In Oil And Ash” that does something the rest of the set-list just doesn’t, and while I’d never usually be one to recommend the dangerous mid-tempo range for any reason given I know how the masses tend to react to it…honestly, it feels like this particular song has a great chance of connecting to the listening ears out there.  There’s something very humble, open, and intriguing about “We Baptized The Engines In Oil And Ash” that pulls you in to listen without it feeling like that’s the goal, you feel me?

I should emphasize the Funk aspect of PPXP’s music.  Much is made about them being a Jazz band, which is still true and the dominant trait if you’re looking at the biggest umbrella under which their music would be housed, but they add so much noticeable Funk in as well.  Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s in the center of the spotlight, but it’s almost always an aspect that is highly present and accounted for.  “Never Ask Who Lit The Match” is a solid example of a song where the Funk is a bit more pronounced than most, so I figured I’d bring it up for those of you out there reading along.  For those of you out there listening…I don’t worry about you – you already know exactly what I’m talking about, and you’re probably surprised it has taken this long for me to bring up the Funk.  Anyhow.  It was me.  I was the one who lit the match.  Now you don’t even need to ask!  You’re welcome.  Alright…maybe it wasn’t me…maybe the only match I strike is the one that tries to light the fire of inspiration under all of your collective asses.  If there’s one band out there I haven’t needed to poke or prod all that much, it’s PPXP – these guys stay so ready for the moment where preparation meets opportunity, that I’m positive once they push record, they just start rolling out songs with the smooth fluidity of “Never Ask Who Lit The Match.”  There’s seriously great material to be found throughout this entire album, but there’s no doubt that if you’re reading my comments the same way that I’ve been writing them, that you can tell they’ve really saved some of their best for the second half of Love! Liberty! Resistance!.  Resistance?  You can’t resist this!  Resist the bullshit of politics and demented feckless politicians…but turn this the fuck UP!

I will have more to say about Polyphonic Exophilia later this month when the SBS Podcast returns and we relaunch the show with a special guest on the mic with me – so make sure to tune in for that.  I’ll be spinning their last single “Make Truth Dangerous Again,” which was surprisingly not on this album, but I’ll be sure to fill you in on a bit more of what I know about the band & such.  For now, you’ll have to check that out online now that it’s available, while you’re waiting for our next episode and the official release of Love! Liberty! Resistance! this year.  Neither of us will keep you waiting long, I promise.  I dig the finale they’ve put in…”We’ve Left No Graves Only Gardens” – it’s pleasant.  I know what you regular readers are thinking – I really only use the word pleasant when there’s nothing that particularly stands out – and you’re not wrong if you’ve noticed that.  “We’ve Left No Graves Only Gardens” is in a much more low-key mood energy-wise, and it doesn’t really have that stand-out part or hook that would make you necessarily remember this single track in comparison to many of the rest.  What it does do, however, is set the album down on solid ground on a reliable cut that still highlights the unity of the band exceptionally well, and finished the record off on a tune that is extraordinarily well-balanced.  If you’re listening for things like attention to detail, you’ll certainly find that in the guitar work of this last cut, but make no mistake, the technique of the band is completely on display from the bass to the drums to the surrounding elements of the music in every corner.  Polyphonic Exophilia have always been a ‘buy the ticket, take the ride’ type of band, but it’s a suit that fits them as snugly as a second skin would.  Definitely happy to hear the progression of PPXP this year as they continue to branch out with their sound and explore the endless possibilities of the unknown, and I feel like it’s our responsibility to continue to encourage them in that direction.  If the results come out as stellar as what you’ll hear on Love! Liberty! Resistance!, then it’s clearly just as much to our benefit as it would be to theirs to celebrate their music, right?  Polyphonic Exophilia has released another one of their very best to-date with this album, and I think it points to the band really being locked in, focused, and ready for whatever comes next.  They’re continually getting stronger, more refined, and streamlining what they do – and with every chapter of their music, they give you plenty of reasons why you’d never want to miss what they come up with, and every reason to continue to tune in to have a listen to what they’re up to next.

Find out more about Polyphonic Exophilia from their official website at:  https://ppxp.no

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