Altered
Altered has released two full length studio efforts.
Graphic
Review by Kai Horsthemke / March 2006 - South African Bass Players Collective
Moving to the band’s second album, the title tune by Flitcraft, a vehicle for Miley and Holmes, merges seamlessly into Bug: with Holdworthian guitar, it is slightly less urgent than Graphic. An almost pastoral atmosphere characterizes Digging out, before it settles into a slowish, no-nonsense groove, featuring an intoxicating solo by Flitcraft and Miley un-assumes the reins and Holmes gets a further chance to shine. The bassist’s Two Weeks from Everywhere is a Frisellian, left-of-centre Americana, desert-fusion type of tune; wonderful: an immediate favourite. Percolate, well, does percolate. Hectically creative, it (again) features strong ensemble playing. Miley’s Dr James is a ‘ballad’, for want of a better description, but with an inner propulsion suggested by both the harmonic movement and Holmes’s relentlessly unballadic fills and solo. Reunion, the longest track here, ends the album: again, Flitcraft turns in an unusual solo, before Miley positively soars and Holmes explodes yet again. What a joy it must be to experience this trio live! In conversation with Martin Simpson, Flitcraft mentioned the substantial difference in recording and production between the two albums. Not to this listener, quite frankly: to my ears, both could have been recorded at the same time, under identical circumstances. If you’re fed up with smooth jazz and/or faceless slap-pop histrionics, get into ‘Altered’: the band may just alter your listening habits...
Graphic
Review by Kai Horsthemke / March 2006 - South African Bass Players Collective
Moving to the band’s second album, the title tune by Flitcraft, a vehicle for Miley and Holmes, merges seamlessly into Bug: with Holdworthian guitar, it is slightly less urgent than Graphic. An almost pastoral atmosphere characterizes Digging out, before it settles into a slowish, no-nonsense groove, featuring an intoxicating solo by Flitcraft and Miley un-assumes the reins and Holmes gets a further chance to shine. The bassist’s Two Weeks from Everywhere is a Frisellian, left-of-centre Americana, desert-fusion type of tune; wonderful: an immediate favourite. Percolate, well, does percolate. Hectically creative, it (again) features strong ensemble playing. Miley’s Dr James is a ‘ballad’, for want of a better description, but with an inner propulsion suggested by both the harmonic movement and Holmes’s relentlessly unballadic fills and solo. Reunion, the longest track here, ends the album: again, Flitcraft turns in an unusual solo, before Miley positively soars and Holmes explodes yet again. What a joy it must be to experience this trio live! In conversation with Martin Simpson, Flitcraft mentioned the substantial difference in recording and production between the two albums. Not to this listener, quite frankly: to my ears, both could have been recorded at the same time, under identical circumstances. If you’re fed up with smooth jazz and/or faceless slap-pop histrionics, get into ‘Altered’: the band may just alter your listening habits...