Albums by this artist

Spine And Sensory (1999)

Insound Tour EP (1999)

Interviews

Sensory Stimulation
January 15, 2000

Tristeza

Spine And Sensory

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» JONATHAN COHEN | SENIOR EDITOR

Tristeza Spine And Sensory Makoto, 1999 RiYL: Cap’n Jazz, Joan Of Arc, Fuxa, Pell Mell, Ganger, dreamy Swervedriver

Although one can only speculate as to the cause, the late 90's may very well be looked upon quizzically years from now for its proliferation of instrumental bands. Naturally, without vocals to serve as the music's proverbial and literal center, instrumental bands must work doubly hard to make sure the listener pays attention.

Case in point: Tristeza. On a casual listen, the band's Spine And Sensory album comes off as thoroughly pleasant, but thoroughly background music nonetheless. Take lightly treated intertwining guitar parts, place over traditional rock rhythms, sit back and enjoy -- nothing flashy, nothing earth shattering and nothing that numerous other bands haven't tried since the years A.T. (After Tortoise). It's only upon further scrutiny that the album reveals not only its myriad of influences but its subtle layers of sonic gifts.

Seeminly inspired by any number of notable first-wave instrumentalists (most audibly the Pacific Northwest's bastion of smile-enducing instrumentals, Pell Mell), Tristeza is at its best when not relying solely on repetition to gets its point over and keeping the pace peppy. Although some of the more ambitious numbers fail to vary enough to really make an impact, the band shows a keen ability to serve up highly catchy, guitar-centric melodies on standouts like "Memphis Emphasis" and the gorgeous, fluttery "Electrolytes."

The San Diego band takes a page from the Tortoise trick book on "Muerte En Tu Sueno," a free-floating detuned guitar line shrouded in reverb, while "The Marionette" offers a less majestic take on Bundy K. Brown's excellent Directions In Music release.

Spine And Sensory does take a few songs to get going, and may not be well-suited to fans of more obtuse instrumentalism (the piano-driven "Cinematography" is about the closest an instrumental band of this nature has come to recreating a Windham Hill Records track). Still, this record has a well-intentioned beauty to it that soothes both the bruised heart and the wandering mind.

JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"