Sheffield experimental instrumental band King Capisce are set to release their third studio album Memento Mori on 6th October. The record sees the band continue the jazz/rock crossover style. As expected the musical skill of this band can’t be questioned at any point throughout the album.
The album opens with what is probably the most jazz orientated track on the album (In The Middle), with saxophones being bought to the forefront. This continues on the second and the longest track on the album Taming Panda. However on this track we see more experimentation as the track ends with a guitar solo that is almost Van Halen like. This closing statement seems to be an introduction to the more rock styles of the record as the following tracks are a lot more guitar focused. These tracks being the standouts of the album.
Memento Mori feels a lot more like a jazz album than a rock album. Like a lot of jazz records, the album has a very relaxed and laid back feel to it. Being an instrumental band King Capisce struggle somewhat to truly capture the feeling and notions of their songs. That being said the musicianship is top drawer and when the guitars come in it adds a pleasant new dimension to the album. One further note on the album is its length, being only 7 tracks long it prevents the listener from getting bored of what can easily be a very monotonous genre, something which is avoided here.