Aloha

The Great Communicators, the Interpreters, the Nonbelievers (Polyvinyl)
by Tim Den

Multi-faced, jam-based experimental indie rock with about as much percussive weirdness as Mr. Bungle’s live set. Aloha pull everything from “emo” chords to glockenspiels into their repetoir, and it makes for a very interesting listen. Whether it’s the spacey-beeps and synths over grooving melodies (“I Never Use the Shoreway”), the car-driving-through-hardware-store sounds mixed with tranquil guitars (“The Sound Between”), or the lo-fi piano serenade that seems to come out of nowhere (“Gary’s Narrator”), Aloha surprise you with their ability to balance strangeness with musicality, experimentation with cohesion. Supposedly, their live sets are improvised on the spot, and I’ll bet it’s even more amazing than the record. Ambitious and artsy, Aloha keeps songwriting on its edge.
(www.polyvinylrecords.com)