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| Photo by Michells Gustafson |
I was slow to climb on the Modality
train. It wasn't anything they were or were not doing, it just took
me a bit to work my way into it. Live, Modality has always been a
pleasure, and as the band has evolved from a sleepy duo into a
ensemble of keyboards, guitar, drums, violin and bass, they've
blossomed into one of the most unique bands in Missoula. For me, it
just didn't translate into their recordings. This happens a lot to
bands of any stripe, but it was particularly disheartening for me
when it came to Modality.
Live, they weave together improvised
and structured sets. Sounds and songs seamlessly meld into each
other, washing over you in a steady warmth. It's like a perfectly
heated bath. Modality usurps the notion of jam band by accompanying
nodes of psychedelia with aggressive guitars and drums. They've
coupled the aesthetic of experimentation with a technically sound and
complex soothing sense of exploration. Our friends over at WeirdMissoula are prone to saying "the
philosophies behind a lot of the musics “hippies” hold dear and a
lot of the musics noise-dudes and experimental musicians hold dear,
well…they’re really the same," and they're spot on. (You may
as well read the entire review
-- it's really good and hits all the highlights).
It's the technical
aspect that, at times, hinders translating their live sets to the
studio. Don't get me wrong, Particle City retains all the ambient
groove of the live sets and highlights how good these dudes are as
musicians. To my mind, however, they're limited by the format. I
don't know. I'm not trying to be negative here, but I always feel a
little more hungry after listening to the record. They've pushed some
envelopes in trying to capture their improvisational style by
occupying a ballroom in Butte and
recently releasing an impressive collection Notes From the SueTerrain.
Serious grooves going on here.
In a festival that's notorious for its
hard and heavy line-ups, it's nice to catch a warm ray here and
there. Modality provides a series of cleansing moments that massage
you in and out of calmness. It's blissful and still edgy enough to
keep you on your toes. Something like the end scene of Melancholia or what it feels like to succumb to an
avalanche. There's that moment right before you drown that your body
forces you to take a breath. You know it's not air coming in,
but you're okay with that. Consciousness isn't always a good thing.
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