Gorge Trio - Open Mouth, O Wisp
(Skin Graft)
The members of Gorge Trio are guys in high demand. When Weasel Walter relocated the Flying Luttenbachers to the Bay area, guitarist Ed Rodriguez was brought into the fold, and John Dieterich was a more than able replacement for the departed Rob Fisk in Deerhoof. Drummer Chad Popple plays far and wide in different improvisatory settings. The trio, who were once part of Colossamite with Nick Sakes, began in 1995, and released two albums on the Italian Free Land imprint before combining forces with Skin Graft for the release of Open Mouth, O Wisp, one of the most adventurous releases by the label in recent years.
Open Mouth, O Wisp is more a collection of twenty-two musical gestures than an album full of songs. Though a few rare tracks stretch towards the three-minute mark ("Roof Halves and Dewdrop Gems" is an epic four minutes long), most come and go in a flittering instant, gone in a minute, with the ears never satiated, only intrigued. The clang of a twisted rock passage gives way to a sparse percussive canvas, piano becomes as important in the band's arsenal as the guitars or drums, and it's immediately apparent that Open Mouth, O Wisp is a far more grandiose statement than one might expect. What's surprising is not that Dieterich, Popple, and Rodriguez are able to shift so easily between a happy, lilting pop tune, scrambled electronics, and a fevered rock inferno, but that the transitions aren't nearly as awkward as they should be. They're the band of a thousand faces, each one, no matter how slight, is imbued with ample expression.
The diversity of Open Mouth, O Wisp isn't a problem when it comes to transitioning, but it does lead to the album's most vexing quality, namely that there are musical ideas it would be wonderful to hear explored over a longer duration, but such a complaint is one of little detriment. Gorge Trio's first widely-available album is one that should garner the band the praise and fans that they deserve.
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