CLUB TIAJ
Calvin L Coolidge II
CB Baby
2003
Elsewhere, I review Calvin's Seconds, and suggest that he impresses me as a subtler and smoother version of Craig Chaquico.
I still believe that, but on Club Tiaj, he offers a more eclectic approach to music, and calls it an "electronic journey through an ambient village". Indeed, it is just that—marvelous manipulations of musical instruments, electronic sounds, and rhythms.
Starfire Dancer begins what seems to be a regular melodic line of guitar work, but soon segues into a cosmic interplay of repeating riffs echoed from shimmering curtains of space and time.
Tribe is aptly named for this beat-driven, ambient electronic work that brings to mind cybernetic aboriginals dancing to throbbing tom-toms around some mystic campfire in a world of the future.
Following several other electronic works, Boost begins a special dance mix that Calvin suggests using with two other selections, Sleek and King Diddy, each with its own introductory bars.
Slither offers what I would call an approach to the movements of an electronic snake through a computer hardware jungle, certainly unique to say the least, and the creature brings us again to the cybernetic tom-toms of Skins. I love listening to drum solos and, although this piece doesn't utilize a fully equipped drum kit, nonetheless, I certainly enjoyed the pulsations presented here.
These are just some of the selections available of the thirteen compositions Calvin has set down for the listener's enjoyment. In some of them, I think the prominent drumbeats are a little distracting, but that's just a personal observation; I'm more melody-oriented rather than rhythmically inclined, but I try not to let that cloud my judgement of a piece of music. Overall, however, Calvin has done a masterful job at creating some excitingly different, diffused, and electronically based musical compositions.
My favorite track: Starfire Dancer
TRACKLIST:
1. Starfire Dancer
2. Tribe
3. Tropical Peak
4. Sparklin'
5. Sunbeam
6. Boost
7. Sleek
8. Slither
9. Skins
10. Spin
11. King Diddy
12. Blush
13. Night Haunt Farewell
