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National Diet — The Noon Hour
(Bandcamp no#, 2022, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-10-14

The Noon Hour Cover art

National Diet is primarily a duo of Jake Rose (keyboards, guitar, miscellaneous other instruments) and Connor Reilly (drums, percussion), both of whom are also in Rainbow Face. Reilly is also involved with Mercury Tree, Ventifacts, and Nick Prol. For this release, the pair is joined by a succession of bassists — JD Davis (no relation that I’m aware of), Oliver Campbell, Damon Flick, Ben Spees, Justin Stimson, and Anthony Medici — and others on saxes, trumpet, and viola. While the overall style is similar to Rainbow Face, the result has an identity of its own, owing in part to the different role of the bass. It’s not up front and aggressive in National Diet, filling more of a supporting part. The compositions are the real focus, and all six tracks are full of varying sections of meter, tonality, and mood, arranged to build and wane very effectively. Rose’s compositions make great use of dissonance to add tension, but don’t lean on it so heavily that it feels oppressive. Astute listeners might identify elements that resemble Änglagård, Anekdoten, King Crimson, Genesis, and Yes, but the ending result is like none of them. Another difference from Rainbow Face is that there’s less of a punk edge, with more tuneful vocals, though the energy level is still high. The Noon Hour strikes me as being complex but not pretentious, intelligent but still quite emotional, and inspired by the past but not beholden to it. There are no slumps or weak spots, and between Rose’s guitar and keys and Reilly’s outstanding drums, every track is packed full of interest and power. This is surely one of the best American progressive rock albums of the year.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): National Diet

More info
http://nationaldiet.bandcamp.com/album/the-noon-hour

 

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