Diderot de Britto Jr
I'd seen Sha playing with Nik Bartsch - a great show - and this album was a surprise, as it's so different and fresh and fantastic!
Favorite track: A.
John Cratchley
Terrific second album...it's that man Kasper Rast again! I bet he would have loved to work with James Brown...
Yes, more rock oriented but so on the one...precision Swiss movement...
Complex rhythms but not complicated (in,say, a KC way).
I'll play it a lot.
Deidre House
An outstanding example of heavy prog/fusion with sax here. Seems a few of the tracks are recycled from the last album, but who cares? It's such good stuff, I have no problem buying it twice!
Favorite track: A.
Sha’s Feckel has no interest in the jazz status quo. For its sophomore album Feckel for Lovers, the Swiss quartet has chosen to emphasize the rock element of its jazz-rock leanings, amping up the energy and crunch by several factors. It’s music inspired by its raucous standing room audiences, but there’s plenty for the chin-stroking set, too.
The band is part of a new wave of Swiss acts stretching the boundaries of pattern-based, minimalist-inspired music deep into the expansive rock realm. It’s comprised of saxophonist Sha and drummer Kaspar Rast—both also part of Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin—and guitarist Urs Müller and bassist Sarah Zaugg. The group’s previous bassist Lionel Gafner performs on the album.
“Feckel is about producing the most powerful, anarchic sound waves possible,” said Sha. “We explore all sorts of rhythmic structures that talk to your brain, as well as your body. We try to make uneven meters sound fluid, so listeners can really feel immersed and connected to the music. It’s rough, tough, loud stuff, but has a positive energy which allows us to spread love to and through the audience.”
Feckel is also a band with a huge sense of humor. Considering it titled its first album Greatest Hits, it won’t be any surprise that Feckel for Lovers continues an ironic tradition.
“There was a posthumous John Coltrane album called Coltrane for Lovers, full of wonderful ballads,” said Sha. “But the title was so creepy, abstract and diminishing that I thought ‘One day, I’ll similarly name an album to put a different spin on the concept.’ The title also reflects these times of streaming and piracy. We love what we do and hope people also love it and support it so we can continue.”
As with its previous album, Feckel for Lovers includes two imaginative reinventions of tunes by the Manchester rock act Oceansize: “Build Us a Rocket Then…” and “Massive Bereavement.”
“I’m a big fan of how Oceansize use an incredible amount of very interesting patterns in each song,” said Sha. “i thought it would be interesting to more deeply explore and stretch out the spaces between the patterns and focus on grooves in order to build up a different dramaturgy.”
Feckel for Lovers showcases a truly collaborative band with a visceral determination to push itself beyond its comfort zone.
“We’re lucky enough to be a group with people capable of transforming each other’s ideas into something no-one else thought possible,” said Sha. “We organically build up material and arrangements from rehearsal to rehearsal. The process yields far greater results than sitting in front of a computer marveling at what a great composer you think you are.”
- Anil Prasad (Innerviews, Guitar Player, Bass Player, USA)
supported by 30 fans who also own “Feckel for Lovers”
Wow. Tough to pick a favorite, it's all just so good. Amazing. I will be finding the rest of their catalog, for sure. Some of the best stuff I've listened to lately... jeff paper
Four compositions that are magnificently epic in scope; the slow swell of sound & persistent, gentle heave will appeal to fans of post-rock. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 22, 2021
The Melbourne bassist creates intricate patterns out of marimba and glockenspiel, a rich combo that adds depth and rhythm to his music. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 2, 2024
The bassist who's spent much of his career pushing against jazz traditions finds value in embracing them, to some degree, with a nimble quartet of fellows. Bandcamp Album of the Day Dec 7, 2016
supported by 28 fans who also own “Feckel for Lovers”
Minimal jazz with odd time signatures but also with a sense for the dramatic (e.g. Riot, which builds up impressively). Produced by Nik Bärtsch himself and that might give you an idea of what to expect here. Carsten Pieper