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Looper's Delight
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Some good and some bad in this one, but if nothing else I get a huge grin out of the first sentence. ----------------------------------- Andre LaFosse Normalized Altruist Music http://www.ink19.com/issues/january2004/musicReviews/musicL/andreLafosse.html by Van Sias Hey, wait a minute. This doesn't sound like Tom Morello! Andre LaFosse refers to his musical style as "Turntable Guitar," so when I heard that, I automatically thought of the ex-Rage Against the Machine and current Audioslave guitarist who it seems can make any kind of sound with a six-string. But while Morello blends rock and hip-hop, LaFosse -- as evidenced on his second disc, Normalized -- wields his ax like a DJ manning the wheels of steel at your neighborhood techno club, which, I have to say, isn't always a good thing here. LaFosse's style is to take a guitar, his own ability and a digital looper to create these sounds. And while technically amazing -- getting behind the fact that someone is doing so much of this with a guitar is something else -- I feel that there are some holes in the disc music-wise, a lot of which can be traced to the love affair he has with electronic looping. Remember waaay back in the day when the needle on your old Fisher Price record player would get stuck on your Sesame Street album, and "C Is for Cookie" would keep repeating? That wasn't a fun experience. Or now, when a CD gets stuck. That sucks, right? I can handle it in small doses, but too much of it gets pretty irritating. Some tracks do have more of an organic feel, though, which I consider the stronger songs. "Deject" has bluesy riffs layered over the glitch-work. The title track, "Normalized," sounds pretty... normal, with stellar guitar work shining through. I do give credit to LaFosse for being a true artist; his ability to arrange using unconventional means can be likened to that of musical revolutionaries like Frank Zappa or Miles Davis. And I'll admit: I would check LaFosse out live to see how he makes this all come together. Hopefully, I'd be able to make it through the show. And I'll admit: I would check LaFosse out live to see how he makes this all come together. Hopefully, I'd be able to make it through the show. (See? Wasn't that irritating?)