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Avi Bellili — The Power of Balance
(LA 4 Records LA-10527, 2002, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 2005-09-01

The Power of Balance Cover artComposer Avi Belleli is perhaps best known as the mastermind behind Israeli band Tractor's Revenge and also for his collaborations with drummer Dave Kerman (Present, 5uu’s etc.). Co-produced and engineered by Udi Koomran, this grouping of ten short and distinct pieces presents experiments in rhythmic and audio soundscapes. The album opens within a quiet acoustic guitar atmosphere, but the best example of this experimental approach is on the second track. “Fairys” is grounded by pulsing drum machines that instill a metallic vibe with backwards loops and watery guitar phrasing. “Steam” is also an impressive piece that relies on jumbled rhythmic qualities to create an earthy sound collage. The sixth Hebrew named track is the most traditional song, relying on guitar harmonics to propel a folk song melody line sounding a bit like synthesized melodica. “Kuru” is the creepiest piece on the recording opening in what sounds like a dark tomb, then a sound window opens to reveal a cacophonous band playing loudly at exaggerated speed. The last two pieces close out the disc on a more somber note. “Zabieba” features a two guitar pastoral arpeggio that underlies a ghostly lead part that is one of the high points of the recording. The final piece “Loot” is an acoustic percussion driven song that adds shakers and a spiraling but tribal vocal tracking. In closing, Belleli and Koomran set a comfortable tone of individual audio research with this recording that was the signpost of greater endeavors to come for each of them.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 32, 2002 releases

Related artist(s): Avi Belleli

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