Concentrick: Aluminum Lake (Drag City)

Tim Green has essentially ditched the ambient for his fourth album as Concentrick. As a guitarist in Nation of Ulysses, the man behind The Fucking Champs, and engineer of some great metal and rock at his Louder Studios in San Francisco, Green has made his mark on the heavier music of the day. Filled with far more rock than his third album, the spacey Lucid Dreaming, the all-instrumental Aluminum Lake follows the path laid down by the Champs’ summer lovin’ collaboration with Trans Am—Fucking Am or Trans Champ, depending on which album you’re referencing. “White Bear” evolves from ringing guitars into a full out Champs rocker, “Punjab Glory” brings some questionable funk rock, and “Expertz” sounds like a tune borrowed from Trans Am. The opener, “Waterfall,” sounds like earlier Concentrick releases, with layers of overlapping synthesizer and guitar tones, and “Aluminum Lake” is a repetitive bluesy chug with lead acoustic guitar. Throughout the tracks here, Green displays his deft fretboard work and even more nimble ear for production and mixing. The recording (made in spurts from 2000-2007) is sonically luminous—cranked up on a nice home stereo it sounds amazing. The guitars leap from the speakers and drums thunder in the mix. A must listen for fans of the Champs, the Ams, and the future. (www.thefuckingchamps.com/enterconcentrick.html)

By Nate Daly

10/2007