Gongzilla

The last international band to lay claim to the mantle of such illustrious '70s improvisationers as HATFIELD AND THE NORTH, NATIONAL HEALTH and the original GONG, GONGZILLA is a muscular quartet that traffics in the kind of music once mislabeled as fusion. Sure to surprise twentysomethings who think jam bands invented adventurous instrumental passages, odd meters and searing melodies, GONGZILLA's latest album East Village Sessions does more with vibraphone, bass, drums and guitar than an entire Vans Warped Tour of pierced-nosed freeloaders could imagine. Not simply an excuse to blow notes, GONGZILLA also delivers subtlety and sophistication. With Benoît Moerlen framing the songs with lush vibraphone chords and sometime-guitarist David Fiuczynski scalding the senses, GONGZILLA creates an atmospheric ride that even when speeding at 200 bpm delivers a litheness that's pratically feline.