SOUNDTRACK: CHRONIXX-Tiny Desk Concert #654 (September 27, 2017).
Chronixx and his band Zincfence Redemption paid a long-awaited visit to the Tiny Desk to perform three songs from his sophomore album, Chronology.
At a time when dancehall has been dominating the Jamaican soundscape, its refreshing to hear the man born Jamar McNaughton carrying the roots-revival torch for a younger generation and expanding upon the footprint left by his world-renowned predecessors.
This is especially true for roots reggae, whose staccato guitar licks, billowing bass, and sonic splashes on a canvas of negative space, are like salve for the soul. The mid-tempo pulse conjures up relaxed days on the beach, living amid nature’s unrestricted beauty.
I allowed the blurb to speak for me because I really don’t care for reggae. Or I should say I like one or two songs but beyond that it’s all too samey to me.
But Chronixx adds some changes to the classic sound.
In “Skankin’ Sweet,” the tempo is faster than a lot of reggae so I like this a bit more. Chronixx’s delivery is light and fluid. I enjoy in the middle section that the percussionist Hector Lewis has time to dance before he gets back to the bongoes.
“Majesty” is a smoothy dancy song with a solid bass line from Adrian Henry and drums from Oliver Thompson.
On “Spanish Town Rockin'” percussionist Lewis sings some delightful falsetto backing vocals. There’s a cool moment when one of the guitarists Stephen Coore or N’Namdi Robinson slides his finger up the next with a neat echo effect on it. This song is pretty extended and dancey and Chronixx does a little freestyle. I can’t quite make out everything he says, but there’s a bit about “NPR session / Chronixx rasta mon / roll up the mad ribbon / and then he cracks up. J. Evan Mason on the keys has done most of the melodies while the guitars played chords, but he gets a special little section during the outro of this song.
he hasn’t converted me to reggae, but it’s much more fun live than on record.
[READ: July 24, 2016] Amulet: Prince of the Elves
The book begins with Max as a young boy. He is learning from his friend, an elf named Layra. Then we meet Max’s dad. Max’s dad is pretty intense and he wants Max to serve on the Guardian council “he will follow my path, not my father’s.” Then we see that Max’s father does not like elves
When Max goes to Layra’s house, her parents have been put in jail and a headline reads “Elves declare war.”
Max runs to the prison, frees her parents and has the three of them get on a ship to freedom. But as soon as they try to escape, the ship is blown up and all the passengers killed (this story is really dark). Max is sentenced to prison for helping prisoners escape. Soon enough Max escapes prison and the stone is trying to tell him what to do–“just give me complete control and I can keep you alive long enough to have your revenge.” (more…)
I Just Read About That... 