Sheriff - s/t
(Hapna)
One of the things that bothers me about fakejazz is the strange skewed review system that I am forced to use. Obviously the difference between a record that is 10/12 and 11/12 is great, but would it really matter if I gave this debut release by Sheriff a 3, 4, 5 or 6?
From Sweden, these guys play "post-rock," of the quiet, non-rock variety. Like Gastr del Sol (seemingly their major influence), Magnus Granberg and Henrik Olsson keep it sparse and restrained. Mostly guitar and drums, these guys scrape around musical sketches, never quite reaching any sort of statement. I'm all for quiet music but somehow this falls short. I can't really feel that there's any sort of unified musical idea at work here, nor do the musicians seem to be enjoying what they are doing. The Hapna label has a release by Chicago jazz/post-whatever quartet Pillow, whose sound is not dissimilar from Sherriff, though closer to a jazz feel--this style of improvisation is not unlike the sparse moments of Art Ensemble of Chicago's Paris Sessions, though perhaps without the joy, exuberance, or brilliance.
My girlfriend has been eating plums lately and leaving the goddam fruit inspection stickers all over the apartment. It's really annoying to scrape them off of the desk with my thumbnail, jarring against formica with a chalkboard-like scratch. But there is at least some joy in this act, as it results in the stickers removal; listening to Sheriff only makes me anxious to put something else in the CD player.
|
