When bands claim to be “eclectic,” it usually means that all they have done is taken two different musical genres and forced them together in a clumsy and/or unoriginal fashion. (Yes, rap-rock and classical techno, I’m looking at you.) Eclectic is the word people hide behind when they want to sound creative but don’t have the imagination to back it up. This is true of about 95 percent of the people weilding such a loaded word, but the remaining five percent make for a rewarding exception.
The intriguingly named Poke A Brain is one of those exceptions, one of the five percent, and Love, Resentment & Mortality is an eclectic album; it wanders the musical landscape magpie-like, looking for cool genres and shiny sonic things from which to build its musical nest.
If the opening track, “No More,” is a Latin-infused, soulful track, becoming almost Santana-like by the time it has reached its conclusion, and “Someone Like Me” has echoes of old-school R&B running through it, by contrast, “Unresolved Dream” wanders through some relatively progressive, jazz-inspired, squalling rock realms.
“Midlife” is again that perfect blend of muscle and melody, “Did It On My Own” plays with classic metal guitars, big, clever, and anthemic, and “Night and Day” is a pop-aware, singer-songwriter groover.
Poke A Brain certainly builds some interesting sonic architecture, blending sounds and styles, genres and eras, mixing, matching, melding, and making new genres along the way. But what makes it all work so well is that nothing is ever forced, nothing clashes, it’s all so smooth and deftly done that you can’t even see the joins. And that is the art of making new, adventurous, and appealing music.
