Fontanelle - s/t
(Kranky)
Fontanelle picks up the pieces of Jessamine and continues where they
left off. The band is a four piece (two guitars, keyboards, and drums) and
features both Andy Brown and Rex Ritter of Jessamine. Fontanelle operates
much in the same way that Jessamine did, recording lots of sessions and
improvisation, then choosing which parts would make good songs, and the
resulting self-titled album has a feel much similar to Jessamine's last album.
While the Fontanelle album is similar to Jessamine's last and does seem like a
logical next step Jessamine could have taken, that next step, incorporating more
of a jazz fusion influence into their effervescent drones, is a major one and
could leave some old fans behind.
The first song on the album, "Picture Start," puts all the chips on the table,
challenging less jazz-friendly Jessamine fans to keep up. The song is
precisely 10 minutes long, and the band throws as much of a Bitches' Brew era
Miles Davis influence into it as it can muster. As a result, the song in parts
seems almost like the work of a sample artist, specifically Squarepusher's
recent jazz reworkings. Those with jazz-weary ears may not be able to tolerate
the disjointed melodies and steady cymbal taps that take up most of the space of
this song, but the song's heart is a Jessamine-style guitar drone that pops its
head out during various parts of the song, only really taking a strong foothold
for about a minute and a half, starting at the 5 minute mark.
Any Jessamine fans put off by the first track should still find much to enjoy
in the next five as none allow the fusion influence to dominate as heavily
(if not, perhaps they should instead check out Andy Brown's more drone-oriented
Southerning project). Overall, Fontanelle's keyboard and guitar drones don't
percolate quite as much as Jessamine's did, instead being a bit more subtle and
sophisticated. Combine that with the lack of vocals on the album, and you'd
think Fontanelle was less catchy than its predecessor. However, the many
subtleties of the record, like the mating ritual of the two guitars in "Reflex
vs. Parallax" or the steadily morphing drone of the main guitar part in
"Niagara," pull you into the music as well as any bouncy hook can.
Personally, I think Fontanelle's debut equals any of Jessamine's output. I
can appreciate fusion enough to really enjoy "Picture Start" (which takes up
approximately one quarter of the disk), and, of course, I also enjoy the more
standard Jessamine-style songs, which are as good as the songs on Jessamine's
Don't Stay Too Long. The album works well on 2 different levels: it is subdued
enough to accompany the day-to-day as incidental music, and it is subtle and
intricate enough to warrant close inspection and dedicated listening. No
doubt, (warning: bad, obscure pun) I now have a soft spot for Fontanelle.
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