Recommended: Tyrant Lizard – “Tyrant Lizard”

 

This is an album that’s all about conjuring up imagery.  And not from a sharp, cinematic perspective, but more along the lines of the simultaneously incongruous and vague nature of dreams.  Considering this is the debut of the Tyrant Lizard trio of guitarist Greg Belisle-Chi, bassist Carmen Rothwell and trumpeter Ray Larsen, it’s an impressive display of compelling atmospherics.

And while all of the album tracks serve the common purpose of constructing a single vision, the stronger tracks are those where those atmospherics are guided with a sense of direction and form.  For instance, with just the slightest push, the gentlest coaxing, the trio provides opening track “Stegosaurus” and a rendition of “Shenandoah” a sense of shape and purpose, and it goes a long way to rounding those songs out.  That said, the seeming randomness of “Predator Ooze” and “Fingers” cause each to convey a sense of intrigue just by way of comparison with their counterparts… additionally, they both suggest some influence of Wayne Horvitz’s particular form ambient-folk-jazz on the Seattle music scene that he shares with the trio.

An enjoyable recording that shows plenty of promise.

Your album personnel:  Greg Belisle-Chi (guitar), Carmen Rothwell (bass) and Ray Larsen (trumpet).

This album is Self-Produced.

Listen to more of the album at the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Jazz from the Seattle, Washington scene.

Available at:  Bandcamp