Lullabies for Jeff Dean

Spiral Joy Band

Released on November 30, 2004

Lullabies for Jeff Dean

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VHF writes:
Debut CD by this long running but until now undocumented Virginia group. Founded in 2001 by Pelt members Mikel Dimmick and Mike Gangloff and joined by Karl Precoda (Last Days of May, The Dream Syndicate), the Joy Band concentrates on live performances featuring marathon unorthodox drone treatises for acoustic instruments, including Tibetan singing bowl, gong, sruti, and esraj. The bowed, rolled, and (usually) gently struck metal percussion anchors the sound with rich, resonating tones. The music is a cousin to Pelt's explorations on (Untitled) (vhf#90) and Keyhole and Keyhole II (both on Eclipse). Lullaby 1 is almost entirely built on the gongs and bowls, a slowly building narcoleptic trip. The 41 minute epic Lullaby 2 begins with Gangloff on esraj, building up a trance before the shenais and sharply struck gongs take over at the climax of the piece. Lullaby 3 throws some surprisingly melodic and active piano into the mix, evoking a long-form version of Popol Vuh's "Die Nacht Der Seele."