Release Date: October 4, 2019
Label: MindScan Records
The Chicago-based prog-rock quintet, District 97, is back with a
new studio release, Screens. Both the band and their sound have
evolved through several incarnations since their inception in 2006. The band
started as an instrumental rock band until changing direction in 2007 when
American Idol finalist, Leslie Hunt, joined as vocalist. A few years later, a
renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra cellist, Katinka Kleijn joined the band as
well. Ms. Hunt’s vocals capture the angst of society’s marginalized. Her
vocals, combined with the unabashed musicianship, form a curious, yet absorbing
the sonic experience.
Screens pick up where the band’s previous three
studio albums leave off, with a more evolved and accessible sound. Therein lies
one challenge I faced as a listener, blending the stylistic, almost pop vocals
into what feels like an unnatural prog-rock habitat. As a result, I found it
hard to surrender completely. Just as the Zappa-esque prog/jazz/fusion
creativity takes me in one direction, the glossy vocals take over and pull me
in another.
Songs like “Bread & Yarn,” where vocals are more subdued and
democratized, stand out. “ShapeShifter” and “Ghost Girl” come closer to
vocal/musical synergy as Hunt sounds a bit less polished and produced. This
suits the twists and turns of the undercurrent well. Vocals aside, some
masterful performances are starting with Jim Tashjian’s jazz-infused guitar
licks where he takes the listener on short sprees away from the rhythm and
masterfully returns them to the start. Founder Jonathan Schang’s drumming is
clever, accomplished, and brings forth rhythmic illusions in the vein of Gavin
Harrison of King Crimson and Porcupine Tree.
While the blend of pop and heavy prog may not be everyone’s cup
of tea, one can tell by the skill of the players, the shifting tempos, and the
spaces left between the notes that District 97 would be an engaging live band.
The One More Red Night album released in 2014 confirms the
assertion.
Overall, District 97 embodies the Prog rock principals of
pushing the envelope and opening the listener’s mind to new sonic
possibilities. This is a modern progressive sound that melds elements not
typically melded together. While Screens shines in places,
this listener had to work to find them and did not become as absorbed as he had
hoped.
November 7, 2019
REVIEWS PROVIDED BY:
Rate the
Tracks
Tracks:
1. Forest Fire
2. Sheep
3. Sea I Provide
4. Bread and Yarn
5. Trigger
6. After Orbit Mission
7. Shapeshifter
8. Blueprint
9. Ghost Girl
