Sean Malone - Cortlandt
Laser’s Edge - FES4007 - 2007
By Paddy Walsh
Originally released in limited quantities back in 1996, Cortlandt was Sean Malone’s first post-Cynic outing. Those of you acquanited with Cynic’s magnificent Focus - a rare and one-off gem of an album that paved the way for everything from Fear Factory’s cyber thrashings to a glut of tech-death bands - will understand that Sean Malone is a bassist of considerable ability. So much so, in fact, that he has spent much of his career as a musical academic, penning a multitude of theory-books, teaching, and lending his talents to a host of projects. Now that Cynic have reformed, and their first album in over a decade is nearly upon us, now is as apt a time as any for the resissue of this work.
For the hardened deah metal meathead, Cortlandt fails to offer any of the visceral flesh rendering of Cynic to whet their bovine-unfriendly appetites, since Malone was far more interested in conjuring a wide range of musical styles, textures and moods that were far removed from the metal realm. Instrumental jazz acts as the focal musical vista, but there are elements of progressive rock and world music also at play throughout. With his wandering yet smooth bass (as well as Chapman Stick) tones as the backbone, much of Cortlandt plays as a bass-heavy jazz album in the vein of, say, some of the late bass-maestro Jaco Pastorius’s work. That’s not to say that Malone has let his own talent run away from him, as he restrains himself enough to allow some excellent arrangements and compositions creep through. Even a cover of Bach’s ‘Sinfonia’ on stick isn’t overly wanky, and for the most part it’s obvious Malone was trying to simply have a go at numerous musical genres in one go. Cynic’s Sean Reinart provides drumming throughout (as he would on Malone’s subsequent Gordion Knot project), with numerous other musicians adding guitar; namely Bob Bunin, Geoff Caputo, and Trey Gunn.
Cortlandt sees Malone in an inquisitive musical modus, with each track offering a wide variety of styles, textures and moods but played under a similar jazzy umbrella. Occasional progressive rock stylings make themselves known through the lurching riffs of ‘Splinter’, whilst the extended soloing on ‘Big Sky Wanting’ recalls 80’s King Crimson with a world music twist. The aforementioned ‘Sinfonia’ may come across as somewhat pointless for all but those who understand just how perplexing the stick is to master, and as with all virtuoso solo albums, it can be hard to shake the feeling that there’s an air of showiness to proceedings, but since Cortlandt is just so damned listenable, it’s equally hard to be completely put off by them. An album that should put paid to the notion that death metal bassists are surplus to requirements, and one which will renew everyone’s expectations for Cynic’s imminent return.
Official Sean Malone Website
Official Laser’s Edge Website
Laser’s Edge - FES4007 - 2007
By Paddy Walsh
Originally released in limited quantities back in 1996, Cortlandt was Sean Malone’s first post-Cynic outing. Those of you acquanited with Cynic’s magnificent Focus - a rare and one-off gem of an album that paved the way for everything from Fear Factory’s cyber thrashings to a glut of tech-death bands - will understand that Sean Malone is a bassist of considerable ability. So much so, in fact, that he has spent much of his career as a musical academic, penning a multitude of theory-books, teaching, and lending his talents to a host of projects. Now that Cynic have reformed, and their first album in over a decade is nearly upon us, now is as apt a time as any for the resissue of this work.
For the hardened deah metal meathead, Cortlandt fails to offer any of the visceral flesh rendering of Cynic to whet their bovine-unfriendly appetites, since Malone was far more interested in conjuring a wide range of musical styles, textures and moods that were far removed from the metal realm. Instrumental jazz acts as the focal musical vista, but there are elements of progressive rock and world music also at play throughout. With his wandering yet smooth bass (as well as Chapman Stick) tones as the backbone, much of Cortlandt plays as a bass-heavy jazz album in the vein of, say, some of the late bass-maestro Jaco Pastorius’s work. That’s not to say that Malone has let his own talent run away from him, as he restrains himself enough to allow some excellent arrangements and compositions creep through. Even a cover of Bach’s ‘Sinfonia’ on stick isn’t overly wanky, and for the most part it’s obvious Malone was trying to simply have a go at numerous musical genres in one go. Cynic’s Sean Reinart provides drumming throughout (as he would on Malone’s subsequent Gordion Knot project), with numerous other musicians adding guitar; namely Bob Bunin, Geoff Caputo, and Trey Gunn.
Cortlandt sees Malone in an inquisitive musical modus, with each track offering a wide variety of styles, textures and moods but played under a similar jazzy umbrella. Occasional progressive rock stylings make themselves known through the lurching riffs of ‘Splinter’, whilst the extended soloing on ‘Big Sky Wanting’ recalls 80’s King Crimson with a world music twist. The aforementioned ‘Sinfonia’ may come across as somewhat pointless for all but those who understand just how perplexing the stick is to master, and as with all virtuoso solo albums, it can be hard to shake the feeling that there’s an air of showiness to proceedings, but since Cortlandt is just so damned listenable, it’s equally hard to be completely put off by them. An album that should put paid to the notion that death metal bassists are surplus to requirements, and one which will renew everyone’s expectations for Cynic’s imminent return.
Official Sean Malone Website
Official Laser’s Edge Website
