|
Gain Over Jake Pashkin  As the world becomes more technologically advanced, there will be plenty of people to suggest that all things acoustic and electric have been deemed obsolete within the electronic age. However, as long as rock and roll is around, there will always be an interest in the guitar. Playing air guitar is fun; playing air laptop is just sad and pathetic. With that said, the rock instrumental album will remain relevant for a long time.
Did you grow up in a small town where it seemed like every other kid you knew talked about guitarists as if they were gods? Was your adolescence spent with these same kids playing selections for you from Steve Vai, Joe Satriani or Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force? When they weren’t playing these artists for you, could you find them practicing on their own guitars, tapping out riffs from Black Sabbath or Deep Purple over and over? If you have somehow managed to keep in touch with that perpetual head banger, you may want to shoot them an email and let them know that there’s an artist they might be interested in.
Russian guitarist and composer Jake Pashkin continues in the tradition of Satriani and Vai on Gain Over, his follow-up to Prequel. His playing is both technically sound and emotionally stirring, resulting in an exciting and enjoyable listening experience. The brand of rock on this album is both hard and progressive, a blend that allows tension to unfold within each composition. “Unstable System” sets the tone for the album with blistering guitar solos and driving melodies. “Big Deal” begins with the sound of gunfire, police sirens, and people screaming and running for cover. The song kicks in shortly thereafter with a spy motif accentuated by keyboard riffs for horns. For all of its punchy moments, Gain Over isn’t all high energy. “Sleeping Baby” shows the album’s gentler side and allows Pashkin the chance for some very expressive solos without heavier guitars in the background to push him forward. The darker, bluesy undertones of “Cassiopeia” accentuate the wailing of his axe while “Frozen Air” continues the melancholy mood.
It should be noted that Pashkin not only played all the guitars on this release, but also provided some keyboard and percussion work, along with sharing the programming duties with bassist/keyboardist Dmitry Kupriyanov. Pashkin is not only a seasoned musician, but an impressive composer to boot. The song arrangements provided by him and Kupriyanov diversify the album’s content. It is not one long head banger’s ball, nor does it need to be. The changes in harmonic scenarios serve Gain Over well and establish Pashkin as an artist on the rise, one whose name should be known not only in Russia, but across the globe.
Jason Randall Smith 2009-03-06
Back to Reviews
|
