Tyondai Braxton – Central Market

I can understand why so many people don’t like progressive rock, and I agree with them. Simply put it’s not fun enough; there’s not enough spark of sudden entertainment to make a listener fall in love with the music. Tyondai Braxton may be a serious progressive musician, who makes complicated and well composed music, but one senses that he hasn’t lost the element of fun. The high pitched, both alien and childlike high pitched voices that appeared on his crowning achievement, the brilliant Mirrored by his most recognised project Battles were an interesting and brilliant effect. But they were suitably silly, and a little mad and I loved them. I entered into Central Market in the hope of finding something else similarly offbeat and brilliant, and I think that I encountered enough similar ideas to keep me very happy.On his second solo album release, Central Market, Braxton may have made a serious prog record. It may all be immaculately composed, and he’s certainly making a strong statement about being a serious, and highly capable musician. But with how downright massive and purposefully overblown Central Market sounds, it’s somehow pretty fun and exciting at the same time. In maximum scale is contained maximum ridiculousity, and I’m pretty sure that Braxton is aware of this. I don’t think any musician would use what sounds like a kazoo and expect us to take him completely seriously.His compositions are an explosion of weird noises, hundreds of ideas colliding together, and somehow working. There’s a feeling that Braxton simply added whatever he could think of, just for the sheer hell of it. 'Uffe’s Woodshop' clashes violently, aggressive orchestral stabs contrasting with the high pitched vocal sounds we first heard in 'Atlas'. Epic, fully orchestral centre piece 'Platinum Rows', sounding oddly like some of the music from Disney film Fantasia, almost tells a story in its scale and contrast between instruments. It’s fast paced, chaotic and somewhat brilliant. While Tyondai Braxton’s compositions are sometimes brilliant and inspired, they do not always come off so well. 'The Duck and the Butcher' shows much potential, and could build to a very pleasing, massive crescendo, but simply runs out frustratingly. For all of the courageous outpouring of ideas contained within much of the record, some of Central Market seems experimental and shy. Unfurling clatters with a weird menace but fails to really make an impact. Both 'J.City' and 'Dead Strings' contain a plethora of good ideas, but don’t bring them together as well as Braxton has done with the other songs on this album.For all its bare faced scale, and eagerness Central Market is a weird album. Those who would hope for a similar sound to that produced by Battles may go away disappointed, but we should be impressed by this album and the talent it demonstrates. There are an abundance of good ideas, and breathtaking moments which make this a highly enjoyable, and fun album. It deserves attention, because while Braxton may not always strike perfectly, there’s more enough contained within these 40 odd minuets to warrant a look.Tyondai Braxton on Myspace