Back in the late 1970s, the “death to disco” crowd insisted that rock and funk could not be mixed in a coherent, logical fashion. That was utter nonsense, of course; Sly & the Family Stone, Funkadelic and Ike & Tina Turner mixed rock, funk and soul with splendid results. So did Mother’s Finest, a gem of a band that sounded like Ike & Tina by way of Led Zeppelin. But with the popularity of Prince, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beastie Boys, Living Colour and Run-D.M.C. in the 1980s, that whole notion that rock and funk were incompatible was shattered once and for all. In fact, funk-rock bands have been so plentiful since then that it can be challenging for club owners, publicists, music journalists, promoters, etc. to keep up with who the good and great ones are and who the lousy, pedestrian and mediocre ones are. On Awake to Dream, Scizzorman demonstrate that they are among the more interesting and exciting funk-rock combos of the 21st Century.
The approach that they favor on this 2011 release is funk-rock with a jazz edge; the jazz edge is more assertive on some tracks than it is on others, although it is usually there to some degree. And the influences that Scizzorman display on Awake to Dream include, among others, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, George Clinton, Primus and the late Frank Zappa. Scizzorman aren’t as metallic or as hard rocking as the Red Hot Chili Peppers can be, but melodically, the Peppers influence is there nonetheless. And even though they aren’t as left-of-center as Primus or Zappa, Scizzorman do appreciate the eccentricity of those artists and make that appreciation known on Awake to Dream.
That said, one of Scizzorman’s strengths is their ability to display some eccentricity and strangeness without making their material difficult to absorb. Actually, most of the tunes on this album are relatively accessible. “Truth under Handshakes,” “Philosophical, Part 1,” “Letter,” “Aunt McClucky” and the opener “Goddess Child” are downright infectious.
The title track is a moody, dusky offering that brings to mind Funkadelic’s more moody and dusky offerings; it’s a bit odd, but without being overly abstract. Meanwhile, “Philosophical, Part 2” and the dissonant “Enough Energy” are among the album’s most self-indulgent tracks; they’re bizarre and off-center, although not as far to the left as, say, the stubbornly avant-garde Huffamoose.
The laid-back, oddly sexy “Ballerina” is easily the most overtly jazz-influenced tune on Awake to Dream. There is a jazz influence on other Scizzorman songs, but “Ballerina” is especially jazz-minded and contains some trumpet playing that hints at Miles Davis. It is also a song that finds Scizzorman having fun with some languages other than English, which is their primary language; “Ballerina” includes some spoken female vocals in French, and while the male singing is mostly in English, some phrases in Spanish and Italian are interjected. Linguistic purists might cringe upon hearing the phrase “señorita, tu sei bella,” which is mixing Spanish and Italian (it would be “señorita, tu eres bella” or “señorita, tu eres hermosa” in Spanish or “signorina, tu sei bella” in Italian). But the way Scizzorman combine different languages on “Ballerina” is part of the song’s oddball charm. Remember, this is a band that has been influenced by Zappa, Primus and Parliament/Funkadelic founder George Clinton. So it stands to reason that they are going to do some strange and self-indulgent things. But again, one of the plusses on this album is the fact that Scizzorman can, for the most part, indulge their goofier impulses without making themselves too difficult to absorb. Scizzorman are eccentrics and oddballs, but ultimately, they are eccentrics and oddballs who like to groove and like to pull the listener into that groove. They are eccentrics who want to be relatively accessible, and more often than not, they are.
Awake to Dream is a winner.
Review by Alex Henderson
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
