Aloha
Sugar
Polyvinyl CD
Aloha's vibraphone-piloted tranquil rock is calming, contemplative, and soft. Sugar shimmers like a surreal dream underwater. Simply put, Sugar is a stimulating release etched with rich and resonant melodies, and Aloha is one of few groups willing to venture away from the normal indie-rock line of attack and focus their sound around atypical implements—one being the sweet and echoing sounds of the vibraphone.
A while back I was lucky enough to see Aloha live—they captivated all ears with their charming softness and deep quietude. The same night The Mercury Program played. Both outfits wooed listeners with the reverberating sounds of the vibraphone that seemed to fill the entire room, bouncing warm vibrato notes off all the walls and the enraptured eardrums of viewers. It definitely stands out as one of the more memorable shows I've been to.
Aloha's Sugar is an excellent formation of melodious guitar strums, delicate pitter-patters of the drum, mellifluous bass parts, and piano and electronic sounds that are all raveled and tangled up in the all-encompassing sweetness of a vibraphone. The warmth of Tony Cavallario's vocal delivery couldn't complement the music any better, but Aloha wouldn't be the same without the multi-wizardry of Eric Koltnow's continuous mallet movement up and down the vibraphone, plus his talents with the piano, congas, triangle, cymbals, and glockenspiel that all help deepen the musical depth of Aloha into an abyss of ethereal indie-rock.
I'm sure a lot of people are reluctant to give Aloha a chance, but Sugar is a highly rewarding listen if you can get past your fear of the vibraphone. Honestly, it may be one of the most beautiful instruments you'll ever hear, and Aloha perfectly utilizes its resounding quality with great gentle indie-rock.
by Fake Train
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