Extroverted Hammond beat of the first order
author: Nick Rossi (The Nick Rossi Set)
There is a feeling – a timeless groove, for lack of a better word – that some bands (the good ones at least) spend countless hours / days / years to tap into to. It is hard to put into words, but you know it when you hear it.
BEAT.IT certainly taps into this groove and, man, can you ever hear it! The Link Quartet boasts the solid sound of four excellent musicians who have obviously put in the time, done their homework, and are capable of delivering the goods. Their sound is extroverted Hammond beat of the first order and in Paolo Negri; they possess one of the best organists on the scene today.
There are, of course, the obvious touchstones: the James Taylor Quartet, the Small Faces, Booker T. & the MGs, and the ubiquitous Brian Auger. But add to that the unmistakable Italian flair of cinematic sense and take away the fear many groups on the scene have of sounding “contemporary” and you can begin to get a sense of where this disc is at. Each of the tracks shifts from sound to sound, but when the smoke clears you know that the Link Quartet have found their own sound. And, man, it sounds good!
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Very Cool, great for helping get through long commutes!
author: Bernie Southerton
Very cool and very interesting. Kind of a something old, something new etc. feeling. Very cool sounds, crosses many boundaries!
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A dozen triumphant organ-centric chunks of solid groove
author: Odysseyzine
I've always wished that more bands would bring the organ back into their songs, and wouldn't you know? Someone in Portland runs a label with a near-religious devotion to the Hammond B3. The Link Quartet share that devotion, and check in with a dozen triumphant organ-centric chunks of solid groove. These guys are touring-mates of The Diplomats of Solid Sound, and you can tell that they draw from the same book of influences -- the Meters, Booker T & The MGs, etc. But, you can maybe detect an affinity with the space age sounds of Hugo Montenegro or even Esquivel. It's very stylish and cosmopolitan, and doesn't get so retro that you feel like you need to be in costume. This is just great stuff -- especially if you love the sound of an organ.
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I love, love, love this disc!
author: Highronimus
A modern instrumental quartet transforming retro hammond funkiness into an earthshaking neogroove! Every single note these guys impart is, for lack of a better homemade superlative, outfunkstanding! There's no small amount of organ grinding on this record (an organ that must have been pounded into pudding) but, as an added bonus, the guitar is just as much a funky electric dynamo! "Strudel Girl", "Crosstown Traffic" (a Mr. Hendrix cover), and "Somebody Stole My Thunder" are supremely groovy tunes - though, honestly, my favorites from BEAT.IT are in a constant state of flux. I love, love, love this disc!
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