Highland Tap & Burger
Denver, CO
Words By J-man
Photos By Carly Marthis
Blake Mobley's brainchild, Tiger Party, a collection of musicians from an array of bands, released its debut self-titled album, Tiger Party, Wednesday April 24th at The Highland Tap & Burger in Denver, CO! The product is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign and hours of hard work in the studio. The album's intro starts with a Melancholy piano before launching into "Roar Like A Tiger," a track that incorporates a combination of samples and vocals that basically repeat the words "Tiger Party." "Rhythm of The Heart" may be the most obscure track on the album, offering layers of Latin swing, horns and poppy vocals from Jon Wood. Standing alone, the track offers no hints of the Tiger Party vibe and without being told, even the most passionate Tiger Party fans would have difficulty identifying the composition's originator. "Justified" returns to the TP vibe with funkier instrumentation, vocals that lean on soul and some killer slide guitar fills from Cris Jacobs. "The Sound You Make" opens simply, with straight forward drumming, screaming organ holds and vocals from Bridget McCallion that lead the charge. The song's instrumental breakdown is also simple, yet pleasant, carrying the song to its fading close.
"Taking it Back" begins with swagger and some interesting tonal work, but fails to develop into anything significant, instead opting for meandering horns. Blake's organ solo offers some promise of a get down, but then returns to the main section and concludes. "Tigers" features a developed composition, a danceable groove and an almost old-school funk vibe. Solid sax work from Patrick Rainey and Mario D’Ambrosio leads into a ripping guitar solo from Jody Mosser before the instrumentation melts together for a barrage of sound! "Show Your Stripes" features heavy piano from Blake and the drums of Nathan Graham. Much like a Marco Benevento song, the track has a lot going on sonically as it plays out in epic fashion. The album's closing track "Sound Reprise" fades in with a sort of R&B beat and clashing vocal lines that combine with sax and keys before the track and album's eventual close.
Through short compositions the album leans on more pop sounding arrangements that may or may not appeal to Blake's Colorado fan base, which has come to expect deep exploitative tracks. With the album being recorded on the east coast, the musicians involved utilized a different approach from the more recent characteristic live Tiger Party experiences. I had a chance to speak with Blake following his show at The Tap, and he eluded to consciously avoiding solos and the jam vehicle on this album. Wednesday night at The Tap, everyone in attendance received a copy of the album, which to me sounded very different to the band we heard live. The line up at the album release party included Blake (Keys), Fleeb (Bass), Leah Concialdi (Sax, Midi), Peter Mouser (Keys), Seth Fankhauser (Drums) & Ashley Niven (Vocals) and featured a mainly jamtronica output. Through two hours of balls to the walls jams, the group dug deep into a range of compositions that reflected a growing chemistry and solid musical intuition from Blake. The party was a huge success with the small room at the Tap packed with folks who turned out to support the conceptual project. Stream or purchase the album below, but if more than anything, go see this band live!
Carly's Photo Gallery
www.tigerpartyband.bandcamp.com
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