Party Intellectuals

iTunes Review

Marc Ribot is best known as the distinctive guitarist who has accompanied Tom Waits, Marianne Faithfull, Elvis Costello, John Zorn, Bill Frisell and countless others. His stinging, gripping tone delivers a punk snarl to the rockers and an impassioned grace to any ballad. With Ceramic Dog, what Ribot calls “his first rock band since high school,” the energy is consistently loose, loud and free. Beginning with the pure freak-out of the Doors’ “Break On Through,” the race to oblivion is on. With bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Ches Smith, the trio unleashes pure exploratory high jinks, surfing in and out of genres with a free hand. The title track mutinies from conventional rhythms and delivers a Captain Beefheart-flavored funk stew, while ‘Todo el Mundo Es Kitsch” channels Eddie Hazel’s Funkadelic guitar replete with detached mechanical rhythms and disembodied vocals. “Digital Handshake” takes a ten-minute trip through cheap synthesizers and psychedelic guitars that unwinds into pure dizziness. The playing is sharp, challenging and surprising throughout.