All I See Is Red

A four-piece from Toronto (via Thunder Bay and Kingston) All I See Is Red is a reductive moniker for a complex and multi-hued band. The disc begins with slow-building percussive groove reminiscent of Do Make Say Think’s early works. Unlike DMST, when Jeff Hornak’s guitar eventually speaks up it doesn’t play along with the rhythm, but provides a fragmented and freer counterpoint to the pulse. Elsewhere jazz and world elements are pushed further to the fore, especially in the sprawling closer "Two Miles,” which features veteran drummer Sty Larocque loosening his time signatures, allowing sax player Michael Butler to wander unbound. Despite being instrumental-only, titles like "Coalition of the Willing” and "Mosque Fanatic” point to an underlying political mindset is at work. "Richard Perle,” a track named for a conservative defence advisor to President Bush’s Iraq policy, features Middle Eastern modality on guitar and insistent hand drums occasionally overrun by bass and full drum kit. An impressive debut.