Sex Mob – Dime Grind Palace (Ropeadope, 2003)
Steven Bernstein, slide trumpeter and leader of Sex Mob, has a history so long that the review may not fit in here. Bernstein has appeared on recordings with DJ Logic, Lou Reed and MMW. Needless to say, the gentlemen’s credentials are in order. His latest group, Sex Mob is an acoustic quintet that makes a surprisingly large sound. The noises that the band explores on “Dime Grind Palace” are all over the place and some of the result is simply a mind fuck.
The most interesting aspect of “Dime Grind Palace” is the undertaking of a song broken into movements and dispersed throughout the program. Translation 1, 4, 2 and 3 offer a departure from the upbeat, Ornette Coleman inspired riffing and features John Kruth on mandolin. Each section boasts spacey textures, percussion and the mandolin sliding up and down the neck, not so much playing a predetermined riff, but playing a feeling. Due to the fact that these interludes stray in scope from the other tracks serves to deconstruct The Album as a concept. With these dispersed interludes the gents of Sex Mob are giving the listener a rest from the frantic pace and funk of other tracks like “Conk Buster” or “Mothra”. When a band works to push structures that exist, the gesture generally serves to exhibit creativity, something this group possesses in abundance. But, everything on here isn’t perfect, unfortunately. “Norbert’s Weiner”, while pushing ahead of the norm leaves one feeling drained. Not a bad song, just not up to spec. This isn’t buy or die, but check ‘em out.
