Reviews:

September 28th, 2007

MadTracks

thedailypage.com

Without question, the worst jam bands are indulgent, unimaginative, trapped in the past. The Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers weigh on them like fetid corpses, suffocating their individuality as they slog through creaky improvisations that add next to nothing to the rock 'n' roll canon to which they're so devoted.

Baghdad Scuba Review clearly have studied at the feet of Jerry and Duane, but to their credit, they aren't in awe of their icons. And that makes all the difference in the world. On "Out@11," the long instrumental that closes out their new album Testing the Waters, they drift effortlessly through Allmans-style double lead work, funky fusion and bass-heavy trance rock that's very much made for the twenty-first century dance floor.

Better still, the track isn't just about getting funky for the people. A tricky false ending in which guitars appear ascend to their final apogee and drums decay in a sizzle of crashing cymbals also finds BSR simultaneously tweaking their listeners