The idea of a jam-band entertaining Brooklyn crowds may seem like a difficult thing to conceive, but supposedly not when heavy effects and synthetic filth is introduced into the mix. Brooklyn-based Alien Whale – a side project of Talibam!’s Matt Mottel (on keys), Colin Langenus of USA is a Monster (on guitar) and Nick Lesley (on drums), creates a trip of a musical experience, with nightmarish, swirling keyboard tones, and jabby, screeching guitar, like a more drugged-up end of “Sister Ray,” that goes on and on. Like when you wake from a dream to find out you’re still in a dream. When you think it’s about to get stale, a new synth tone, or guitar hook is introduced, altered, and then transformed into something else entirely. The process works well, like you can tell that when these songs were conceived, the trio just understood each other, and everything they liked to create. The end result is exactly what the name sounds like: something otherworldly and huge. The band re-emerged recently to play a bunch of shows, check out opening track ‘Mikado’ from their 2010 album "Live on Tape." – JP Basileo
