Soulful art-rock might seem like something of a contradiction in terms, but
All Ones come close to delivering such a proposition on
Bloom. As the sleeve notes, the album "contains a collection of spontaneous compositions performed and recorded live in our studio," though the recording has a fine sonic clarity and balance. Nearly entirely instrumental, these 14 improvisations are in an electronic keyboard-dominated, progressive rock-oriented bag that covers much of the territory between
Booker T. & the MG's and
Soft Machine. If that sounds like an odd combination,
All Ones get closer to mixing those elements than you might think, in part due to the funky interplay of bassist Ned Doherty and drummer David Brandt. The key ingredient, however, is the assortment of keyboards deployed by Matt Cunitz, who handles no less than seven such instruments on the CD, including Hammond C3 (which power the most
Booker T.-like instrumentals, natch), clavinet, Acetone, and Rhodes models. As a consequence,
All Ones can at different times sound like a Southern soul organ combo with a somewhat freakier inclination than, say, Hi Records' rhythm sections, or (especially on the cuts with buzzing and stuttering keyboard tones) a modern, less pretentious variation on the jazz-rock fusion of '70s British prog rock outfits. At other times, the keyboards approach an early
Pink Floyd mood, though without material as song-based as that. The arsenal of different keyboard textures ensures that this has more diversity than many such instrumental records, but the variety of song structures and riffs helps too, careening from funky grooves to more spacier, reflective passages. It's a recommended listen for those looking for early 21st century art rock that doesn't sound like stale rehash of the form's glory days. ~ Richie Unterberger