The band Street Fight consists of Itta Nakamura on drums, João Clemente on guitar and Nuno Jesus on bass, and this band absolutely cranks. I’m tempted to leave this review at that and just tell the reader to go hit PLAY. You’ll understand quickly.
Their music is somehow very familiar and yet new and exciting. It’s the standard configuration of a power trio, electric guitar, electric bass and drums. Part of me was hoping they’d launch into some Disraeli Gears, and while that didn’t happen exactly, the trio did a fine job of demonstrating just how flexible this combination of instruments can be and how much great music it can produce.
The short track Iron Resolve is pure noise, sounding a bit like one of Sonic Youth’s heavier tunes. Equanimity is a great track, the bass and drums find a deep groove and settle into it. Feet were tapping listening to this one and Clemente’s guitar work here is really sharp.
The track Paradox Of Calm is, paradoxically, not calm at all. Clemente starts by playing some funky guitar lines straight out of Fear Of Music-era Talking Heads but then the guitar suddenly goes fuzzy and the tempo slows to some sludgy metal. This band obviously wants to surprise their listeners and keep them on their toes. With musicians this talented, the surprise is always a good one.
The centrepiece of the album is a 5-part suite called The Storm. In the first part (The Eye), Nakamura has switched from a standard drum kit to percussion and Jesus is playing an almost drone-like line. In the second part (The Eyewall), the bass is especially thumping as the funky tempo of earlier tracks returns, but now Clemente is playing some classic rock guitar, and the combination works just as well. In part 3 (Rainbands), Nakamura is showing off his skills (and they are many) with the track at first being largely an interaction between guitar and drums. But with part 4 (Uplift) the tempo and style change again. It might be the best track on the album. Bass and drums are once again locked into a groove and the guitar becomes more and more intense. Then Nakamura’s drumming really takes off and the whole suite builds to a startling conclusion.
This album is a fine example of a band finding the sweet spot between guitar rock and improvised music and exploring it for all it’s worth. It was also an introduction for me to the very cool Portuguese label Profound Whatever. I’ve been exploring their other offerings, in particular further collaborations between Nakamura and Clemente, and I predict I’ll be reviewing more of their music in the future.
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