Artist: The Mast
Title: Wild Poppies
Label: Channel A Records (self released)
Genre: psychedelic indie rock
Review by Dawoud Kringle
Every now and again, a CD comes my way that ends up dominating my CD player for a time. Every now and again, a body of music crosses my path that insinuates itself into my psyche, and speaks to me.
The Mast is a Brooklyn based duo: singer / guitarist / songwriter Halle Gafori, and percussionist Matt Kilmer. Matt is a renowned percussionist whose work in the New York City neo-world music scene, and elsewhere is well known, having played with the likes of Lauryn Hill, Simon Shaheen, and Reggie Watts. Halle has toured the US, Canada, and Europe, including the David Byrne-curated series at Carnegie Hall, Preservation Hall, and the Bonnaroo festival (with Kilmer as a partner and mainstay in her group). They also released 2 critically acclaimed EPs and a full-length album in 2008. They formed The Mast in 2009 and built a home studio where they recorded their debut CD Wild Poppies.
The CD begins with a simple guitar riff that draws you into the title track. From there, the CD becomes a journey into everything from political commentary (on the understatedly incendiary “Trump” – clearly inspired by the recent “Occupy” movement), to the hallucinatory dreamscapes of tracks like “Hummingbird,” and “The Lake.”
Matt’s masterful percussion work is a dominant factor in this music. Versatile in seemingly every percussion instrument, he weaves dense rhythmic propulsion that drives the music, and empowers the mood of each song. His work is ingenious, and powerful.
Halle’s vocals weave a poetic tapestry of imagery and moods. Her approach to melody and phrasing is deceptively simple; no vocal acrobatics or raunchy histrionics. She proves herself to be a master of the “hook” (I know; a terrible phrase as overused as it is misleading) whose melodies are infectious and comforting. Her guitar work is very similar. She approaches the guitar as a song writing tool; concentrating on creating a firm and eloquent foundation for the song. She’s also very adept at incorporating effects in a subtle and understated way; again, always in service to the song.
The duo has also produced several videos. Some are simple documentation of their recording process. Others, such as “Trump” and “Hummingbird” are visual works of art.
Wild Poppies is one of those gems that may be found in the “underground” if people would take the time to search it out. Their work is at least equal to, and more often than not, superior to most of the heavily promoted pop music out there today.
