CHRISTIAN
ALSING - Spasms
for Two
(2003)Christian Alsing - all instruments
Simon Andersson - bass on track 3
Patrik Meijer - scratching on track 4
Lilja - Darbuka on track 1
Christian Alsing is a young guitarist from Sweden. Spasms for two is his new cd. Even if it's just 26:46 long, there's alot of interestin' stuff in it!
The cd starts with Nut, a perfect openin track. Great groove, great guitar sound. Alsing demonstrates he's got an excellent technique, and a personal style. He'll keep you interested all along the cd, so be prepared for the ride. He plays some unconventional stuff, and obviously has an inner talent for groove. He comes up with some truly intresting and yet very musical soundin' odd tempos.
Punch and make up reminds me a lot of Mattias Eklundh in his Freak Guitar cd. Great stuff! Christian shows once again he's got an interesting way of phrasin' and articulatin' notes. The guy has also a good fantasy, switchin' from diffrent moodes and with a good ear for arrangements.
Wrong end of the stick is a SICK piece of music. Steve Vai and Frank Zappa would love it. It's all meter switches. Just one minute long though, so if you don't love the genre, this should not be a problem.
Snubbelstovel is a lovely piece with an aggressive riff which alternates with a 'happy soundin' section. Very humorous. Sometimes it sounds once again Eklundh-ish, but that won't be a problem for everyone of us, will it? =)
Great scratch solo!!! I think Ron Thal would love this song! Same kind of dissacrant approach to the little black dots.
Tomahawk is an acoustic song. Ear-catchin' as hell!!!! Truly, absolutely, really lovely! Once again groove and good taste everywhere! Well done.
Odd meters once again with Extra small. Distorted riff with tons of groove even here. Christian prefers to play interestin', rather unconventional stuff instead of playin' a million notes which would fly out of your head in a second. This music will give your brain some food, that's sure. Very inspirational. What the f**k is he playin' at 2:43 ???????? He keeps inventin' strange phrases. This stuff starts to be addictive to me!
Vacuum girl is a piece played with some ethnic soundin' instrument (baglama?). Very moody song, yet the groove is here. Very relaxin'. Could remind a bit some stuff by Steve Vai, but a truly personal touch. This one will touch you deep inside. At least, it did that to me! =)
Bozo alternates between a distorted, heavy riff and a tiny little line with notes that are let ringin'... Very groovy song, but I think that has become a little obvious. Very interestin' line at 2:05.
Safety first was written for an indoor BMX contest, and it' s perfect as a calory burner for headbangin'! =)
Not a single note will sound out of place, as Alsing never overplays. Just goes for what's right for the groove and the song as a whole.
Nothing more to add to what I said in the review of the single songs, as Alsing's force is in the fact that he plays interestin' and personal lines over extremely well-crafted songs, which are never a monotonous base for his
soloistic rides. He's got an awesome technique, but he shows it in short appetizers. And you'll find tons of
groove in this cd. Yes it may be a lttle short , more of a ep than an album, but that's also a force of
Spasms for two: the songs are short, and they'll never bore you (even because the stuff Christian plays
is not borin' at all!!!), and you'll want to play them again and again.
If you're searchin' for good songs with good ,unconventional guitar playin' and sense of humour, you'll love this cd.
Rating: 9
(reviewed by Max)