Half Past Four are a Toronto based five-piece band who describe their music as art rock. They draw their influences from far and wide, citing King Crimson and Frank Zappa, Kraut Rock and Math Rock on their website.
My over all feeling of this album is of a strong jazz or even Latin influence with choppy rhythms and complex guitar riffs overlaid with the vocal talents of Kyree Vibrant.
There is everything here; great guitar and synth solos, driving rock, jazz drumming and even a horn section. There are thirteen tracks, the longest at just over eight minutes each with a quite different vibe.
The vocal style holds an otherwise musically diverse album together. These quirky vocals have a female "Zappa-esque" style which whilst quite different from anything else around to my mind gets a bit wearing after a while.
Kyree is however extremely versatile with an impressive vocal range and ability to deliver the diverse styles that the music demands. I think the album would have benefited from a second vocalist though to vary the slightly late-night jazz club feel.
The CD really is an eclectic mix of musicianship and strong tunes though. Rhythms vary from punk to Latin taking in pomp rock and pop along the way guaranteeing that the listener will not get bored. The band seem able to cram into five or six minutes what other bands take a whole album to do and the whole is done with a good sense of humour.
There is a lot to take in and repeated listens will bring out facets of this album that may well have previously been missed. The band have a distinct sound of their own despite the many obvious influences (Steely Dan and Santana anyone?) and I would think that they would be a real hoot to see live if the opportunity arose.
You feel as if you have been on quite a musical journey by the time you reach the final track "Rabbit", ending the album with a cartoon-style chase worthy of Roger Rabbit (In the Vestibule).
