INNER EAR BRIGADE
CELEBRATED BAY AREA BAND,RELEASES NEW ALBUM PERKUNAS OUT NOW on Geomancy Records
Purchase/Stream HERE
“Seven tracks that immediately put a smile on my face, from a stellar crew of musicians who have that rare gift of making “difficult” sound spontaneous and fresh! There are delightful shades of Hatfield and the North, Thinking Plague, Magma and other icons of the genre, but Inner Ear Brigade creates its own compelling universe, full of unexpected twists and turns, bursts of ear-bending virtuosity, and at all times a deep, grounded self-assurance centered in the stunning vocal performances of Madeline Tasquin. Yes!”
-Fred Frith, guitarist, Henry Cow
Inner Ear Brigade (IEB) recently released their 3rd full length album Perkunas on Geomancy Records. With the influences of early 70’s vintage progressive jazz-rock, experimental music, and detailed arrangements, “Perkunas is one of the standout releases of the year.”
(PERKUNAS ALBUM COVER)
Praise for Inner Ear Brigade and Perkunas:
“Bill Wolter’s Inner Ear Brigade never disappoints, having delivered eclectic takes on avant-progressive and jazz-spiced rock from the fertile Bay Area, California scene for years. On Perkunas, they have upped the stakes to include ace zeuhl touches, like on opener “Ecobio Curves” fusing the modal grooves of early Magma seamlessly with more dissonant, angular figures a la Eskaton or Eider stellaire. “Sumimasen” refines that approach to allow for a textural clarity approaching “pop”. Madeline Tosquin’s wonderful vocals act as a melodic instrument, gluing the band arrangement together in a way faithful to classic zeuhl, but also sounding something like Stereolab performing Glass-ian minimalism.”
-Dominique Leone, writer, Pitchfork
Inner Ear Brigade is a long-running Bay Area band steeped in art-rock, experimental pop and jazz. Their new third album, Perkunas – named for the mythic Lithuanian god of thunder – is a revelation. With intricate guitar work and unique electronic textures, IEB crafts a fresh and exciting sound steeped in the lineage of the French band Magma, the spiritual and modal explorations of John Coltrane’s later years, Olivier Messiaen’s enigmatic harmonies, Sun Ra’s cosmic orchestrations, the experimental ethos of John Cage, the free-form jazz of Hermeto Pascoal, Carnatic music, John Zorn, and J.S. Bach.
Over the past decade, the group has built a reputation for incredible live performances that fuse intricate musicality with tremendous energy. At the helm of the ensemble is the Oakland-based guitarist and composer Bill Wolter, who steers the group through vast sonic landscapes.
Wolter’s compositional process is instinctive, involving hours of intensive exploration of the piano and guitar, arriving at a sound that is both deeply familiar and bracingly new. Educated at Mills College under experimental-music luminaries like Fred Frith and Pauline Oliveros, Wolter brings a thoughtful and intriguing approach to the band’s sound.
Inner Ear Brigade’s influences are eclectic, drawing from icons on the fringes of musical expression. The RIO (Rock in Opposition) movement, the Canterbury scene, and the eccentric genius of Frank Zappa are other key touchstones.
The group has appeared in many forms since its inception in 2006, with a fluid lineup and dynamic arrangements. They have performed at notable festivals including Switchboard Music Festival, Outsound New Music Summit, Seaprog, Progtober Fest, and many more.
One of the songs on Perkunas is sung by vocalist Madeleine Tasquin in Zeuhl, the vocal language originally invented by the French group Magma, conjuring mysterious, dreamlike lyrics that aren’t limited by literal meanings.
The opening track “Ecobio Curves,” which is sung in Zeuhl, is inspired by the idea that the economy and biology might be linked. “Perhaps our endless economic growth is linked to our biological nature, in that bacteria, cells, and multicellular organisms must reproduce and grow at the expense of the environment,” explains Wolter.
Watch the “Ecobio Curves” Video excerpt Ecobio Curves
The next track, “Sumimasen,” refers to the word in Japanese for “excuse me.” The lyrics were written during the height of the pandemic, when most communications were digital rather than in person. “It’s a nod to how being present in the same physical space allows us to develop politeness with one another, as opposed to how we spend the majority of our “social” time on devices, communicating through the barrier of technology,” explains Wolter. Musically, there are lots of shifting meters and nods to minimalism, counterpoint, and pop.
Watch the “Sumimasen” Video excerpt Sumimasen
The epic title track for the album is structured around the idea of personal growth. Leone raves that it “forgoes zeuhl in favor of more typically “prog” structures, in places calling to mind Gentle Giant or Gabriel-era Genesis, all powered by Iberian chord sequences and a jaunty, polyrhythmic bounce. It’s the shizzzzzzz!” The song features counterpoint baroque parts and different sections with Balkan horns and flamenco harmonies. “Its theme is to discard the restrictive inherited culture we no longer need and create new beliefs we discover ourselves and that work for our lives,” says Wolter.
“Goblin Gruel Pt 1” is written in a cool 5/4 modal groove and one of the most jazz tunes on the album. The song explores dark themes of late-stage capitalism and overconsumption. “The end result to human consumption is that we are destroying the biosphere by burning fossil fuels and making the planet uninhabitable, while capitalist billionaires spar over creating competing rocket systems for space exploration to escape the planet and consume more resources,” says Wolter. “Goblin Gruel” proposes a different way – instead of unrestrained capitalist growth and the tragic environmental consequences, we should eat collard greens instead. Wolter namechecks the futurist Buckminster Fuller’s utopian concept of “livingry” – technologies for life, not just profit.
“Muse 2 Entropy” is a previously unreleased track originally composed for a dance collaboration. Musically, this is a more varied acoustic classical chamber rock ensemble with viola, vibes, piano and clarinet. Melody Ferris is the lead vocalist, with cascading dreamy background vocals by Madeline Tasquin. “The lyrics from this one come from dream sequences I’ve had – stream-of-consciousness surreal dreams,” says Wolter.
REVIEWS OF PERKUNAS
“Stylistically, Inner Ear Brigade is in a class of their own, with complex compositions reminiscent of other avant progressive bands like Thinking Plague, Cheer-Accident, and MoeTar, but also a tinge of jazz in the same way that Canterbury bands like National Health and Hatfield and the North did it. The result is thoroughly engaging, and a joy for fans of intelligent music that also connects emotionally. Perkunas is one of the standout releases of the year. Don’t let anyone tell you that music isn’t as good as it used to be.” Jon Davis, Exposé Magazine
“Inner Ear Brigade is creatively unfiltered: a mix of progressive rock, jazz and experimental pop delivered through intricately detailed compositions and arrangements. Led by guitarist and composer Bill Wolter, the Bay Area ensemble is avant-garde but accessible; the musicians twist and turn along unexpected musical corridors, demonstrating mixed meter rhythms, layered vocals, unusual instruments, skippy jazz piano, spirited brass and a thousand other sounds flowing through harmony and dissonance. Their third album, Perkunas, named for the Baltic god of thunder, is out this month.” -Sonya Bennett-Brandt, East Bay Express – November 2024
Notable Previous Acclaim For Inner Ear Brigade:
REVIEWS OF PREVIOUS ALBUM DROMOLOGY
“There is something gloriously primal about this recording, evident from the moment the jagged edges of the otherwise chooglin’ pop moves of spiky album opener Dark Sleep Fortress rip out the speakers and tear at your consciousness. Dromology is an infectious album, and these songs have a pop sensibility married to an experimental ear, akin to the Hatfields jamming with XTC, while Uncle Frank looks on smiling benignly. Dark Sleep Fortress is atypical in its full on attack, the rest of the songs that follow preferring for the most part a less strident approach, although laid back is never a term that would cross my mind in attempting a description of this all-encompassing music. Mind you, for an album opener it does what it should, oh yes!” – The Progressive Aspect
“You know how some albums take time to grow on you before you appreciate them? This is not one of those albums. I loved it from the first notes that hit my ears. “Dark Sleep Fortress” jumps out with a driving beat, multiple saxophones, and an unpredictable melody sung by Melody Ferris. The music occupies an interesting space somewhere in between modern progressive rock of the post-Porcupine Tree variety or Italian revival and more overtly avant-prog like Thinking Plague. This puts them in a similar territory to Cheer-Accident.” Jon Davis, Expose
REVIEWS OF PREVIOUS ALBUM RAINBRO
“…some wildly creative music performed by adept young musicians… The music flows unimpeded, the groove persists, the melodies are lovely, and the squelchy electronics poured into the stew … are a tasty seasoning.”
Dave Lynch – http://www.allmusic.com/album/rainbro-mw0002338439
“Inner Ear Brigade take their time, they don’t hurry, put a lot of thought into the finished product and “milk” the ideas for all their worth, letting them develop naturally in terms of tempo, flow and arrangements. Along with the RIO elements, there are some elements of Canterbury and Zappa to their music as well, especially in the way they employ wacky lyrics, which means that they don’t take themselves too seriously, even though the music certainly deserves our attention and the band itself is a serious contender for one of the best new bands out there.”
Rok Podgrajšek – http://www.therocktologist.com/
“The album is extremely upbeat and grooves really nicely. It’s complex, but doesn’t have to go into virtuoso territory to do so. Despite complex chord progressions, dense arrangements, and varied instrumentation, Inner Ear Brigade never intends to lose the listener. The songs are very easy to follow along, but they still have lots of depth. In the end, Rainbro presents music that is fun, happy, accessible, and proggy. Whether it’s gorgeous vocals, Moog synths, vibes, or Hammond B3, it’s all there for your pleasure. Pick this one up for sure, and if you’re in the Bay Area, make it to the show.”
Matt Di Giordano – https://www.facebook.com/progulator/