From the very first seconds of this cdr, the music of Niagara Falls displays a sort of tribal atmosphere, full of mystery. The sound is at once murky, yet very clear. This ain?t just another lo-fi free folk record, though. This one?s more like an invitation to follow the melodic spirit through whatever forms it may take?

Well? First, there is a definite sense of direction here. Not that this is actually ?better? than an apparently ?looser? approach. The extent to which some sections are actually improvised doesn?t matter here. It is the music itself that dictates its actual flow. It is a very organic music that evolves according to the ways each instrument choose to complement one another.

The variety of the sound palette may give you an idea of what all this may sound like ? you have flutes, eastern instruments, old-fashioned electronic sounds, modal electric guitar playing and an impressive array of all sorts of percussions (as well as an amazing combination of tribal-like chants on the breathtaking final track ?Dinosaurus?). However, what truly strikes one is the density of the collective nature of the performances that unfold before our ears.

On the album?s centre piece ?Plantstand?, the more or less modal types of sounds (guitars + percussions = metal on metal) gradually give way to more melodic assertions, first hinted at by a simple bass line. Then, all the musicians quickly add several ?comments? to the whole piece as it becomes both a vibrant tribute to their ability as performers to listen and truly react to one another and a wonderful invitation for the listener to embark on one of the sweetest psych? folk reveries of recent memory.

To give you an idea, this music is not dissimilar to some sort of collective jam that may have happened between JOMF and Zelienople under the wise spiritual guidance of Ornette Coleman, as it is the overall playing of the band which gives it its peculiar melodic inclinations.

In a recent interview for Foxy Digitalis, Matt Christensen of the band Zelienople suggested a theory which considered Western music to be more like ?a story?, a narrative, while Eastern music could be seen as ?an interpretation of some force or dynamic like nature, love, etc.?

Whatever credit one chooses to give to this idea, there is a real tension here between various, even conflicting conceptions of ?melody? and ?performance?. Of course, if you have a marked preference for either one of these two elements, you may feel a bit left off by some of the music. However, the interactions that take place here make this record a true winner. The music is always fresh and exciting, full of energy and bold ideas, and it succeeds in every way at sharing emotions that can only be expressed through sound. 8/10 -- Francois Hubert (27 June, 2006)