Description
This throbbing 32-piece band of masked chaos invites you to dissolve the performer/audience divide and melt into the bedlam. Denver’s Itchy-O Marching Band (IOMB) is a percussion-centered electronic marching band and the mobile arm of the experimental film/music troupe Itchy-O. Itchy-O brings their sophisticated, savage sound of the sheer ecstasy of electronic instruments untethered and running free to Alternative Tentacles, home of the weird and unruly!
With a driving tribal drum corps complemented by an arsenal of special surround sound effects units (including synthesizers, theremin, vocoders, and several other hand held electronic devices), Itchy-O immerses you from every angle in an electric bog of music, ephemera and spectacle. Teaming up with Alternative Tentacles Records to release their debut LP “Burn The Navigator”, Itchy-O provides the soundtrack to the end times, grand apocalyptic party that invites you to leave your world behind.
From the opening fireworks of “Orange Dev”, to the explosive blasts of “Jaywalker”, and the jungle calls of the “Dance of Anunnaki”; the reality-defying Itchy-O dares you to let go of all expectations. Tipsy meets Flat Earth Society from ex-members of Crash Worship and Extra Action Marching Band! No matter what music you like, LISTEN TO THIS NOW!
Reviews
“Referencing Itchy-O, a Punknews commentor once stated “What’s punk about this?” And in a way, that commentor was right. Viewing punk rock as a set of musical patterns, or even as a set ideology with an acceptable range of views, Itchy-O isn’t punk in the slightest. But, viewing Itchy-O under the earliest definitions of punk- that is, music that is energetic, experimental, and weird as hell, Itchy-O is about as punk rock as it gets.
A 32-piece “marching band,” Itchy-O stomps out what can best be described as instrumental, space-rock stadium music. Opener “Orange Dev” sets the tone for the release. As laser and siren sound effects scream in the background, the band smashes out percussive heavy patterns. Borrowing effects from Hawkwind and Stomp!, the band sometimes sounds like a post-apocalyptic mardi gras and at others, a demented carnival.
Wisely, they plot a varied course. While “Orange Dev” is the template, the band strives for other textures. “Garden of Igigi”conjures images of ancient Persia, and in a ways, shares a kinship with the modern-druidism of bands like OM and Trouble. But, this is also where the band becomes dangerous. Just as a sort of trance vibe is set, the band tears it away with an aggressive, near screeching synth and them actual, distorted screaming.
The band plays with these tools throughout the release. Sometimes, a warped, gritty bass buzzes in the background while demonic voices whispers horrors on the periphery. At others, like on Nerfatata, the band creates a storm of what it probably sounds like from the inside of a crashing spaceship. By the end, they bring it full circle devolving back into pure tribal stomping and rhythm.
– punknews.org
Looking for a digital download? Download Burn the Navigator digitally.
