Short Reviews [Half Past Four - 2016 - "Land of the Blind"]

The Canadian band HALF PAST FOUR has been around since sometime in the late ‘90s, and so far they have two full albums and one EP to their name. "Land of the Blind" is the name of the latter, which was self-released in the fall of 2016. This is a band that has made a name for itself by creating music that blends the eclectic, intricate and challenging with accessible melodies and compelling atmospheres. They have a tendency to include everything and the proverbial kitchen sink, and they don't sway from that approach on this EP either. Flowing instrument details with a jazz orientation combine with dissonant instrumental details of a more avant-garde oriented nature, classical music inspired piano motifs with hard, gnarly and dark guitar riffs, quirky challenging King Crimsonian type guitar motifs with everything stated above, as well as hard funk as well as a more smooth flowing jazz rock oriented backbone set to delicate, pop sensibilities lead vocals. That a whimsical cover of Max Webster's ‘Toronto Tontos’ gets some abrasive guitars thrown in to the mix is almost a typical choice by this not so typical band. Those who find pleasure in creative artists expressing themselves in a truly challenging manner should find a lot of pleasure from the opening half of this CD; those who treasure a band blending their challenging orientation with a more accessible style should find great pleasure from the second half. A certain taste and affection for complex music is warranted anyhow, as well as for bands that use jazz oriented instrument details with a liberal glee. If this description sounds appealing, then this EP is one that probably warrants a check.