By: LaneBrown
In the Hawaiian language, the word “Aloha” can mean “hello,” “goodbye,” “love,” or “compassion.” To the four gentlemen in the band Aloha, it means percussive, melodic indie pop. Hailing from the slightly-less-than-tropical Cleveland, Ohio, Aloha have been peddling their jazz-colored post-rock for nearly a decade. This week the band releases Some Echoes, their fifth and most accessible LP so far.
There was a time when Aloha shunned conventional structure and easy melodies in favor of epileptic punk and proggy indulgence. The band’s arrangements leaned a bit too heavily on a revolving cast of talented mallet percussionists, and some jam sessions went on a little too long. Over time though, album by album, they learned to control their wackier impulses: 2002’s Sugar and 2004’s Here Comes Everyone saw the band composing more and improvising less. On Some Echoes they deliver a full ten songs that showcase the band’s varied sonic palette, but still sound like pop music. Rest assured there’s plenty of vibraphones too, and tracks like “Weekend” and “Your Eyes” (Listen) owe much to T.J. Lipple and Cale Parks’ dexterous mallet work.
Aloha tour dates:
4/12, Boston, MA (The Middle East) 4/13, Cromwell, CT (Cromwell Knights of Columbus)4/14, Philadelphia, PA (First Unitarian Church)4/15, Brooklyn, NY (Northsix)4/16, Baltimore, MD (Ottobar)4/17, Wilmington, NC (The Soapbox Laundrolounge)4/18, Chapel Hill, NC (Wetlands Dance Hall)4/19, Atlanta, GA (Drunken Unicorn)4/20, Tampa, FL (Transitions Art Gallery)4/21, Gainesville, FL (Common Grounds)4/22, Orlando, FL (Wills Pub)4/23, St. Augustine, FL (Caf� Eleven)4/24, Athens, GA (Caledonia Lounge)4/25, Nashville, TN (the End)4/26, St. Louis, MO (Hi Pointe)4/28, Denver, CO (Bluebird Theater)4/29, Lawrence, KS (Granada Theater)4/30, Chicago, IL (Logan Square Auditorium)5/2, Minneapolis, MN (First Ave.)5/6, Seattle, WA (the Paradox)5/7, Portland, OR (Holocene)5/10, San Francisco, CA (Bottom of the Hill)5/11, Los Angeles, CA (Spaceland)5/12, San Diego, CA (the Casbah)5/13, Phoenix, AZ (Modified)5/14, Tuscon, AZ (Solar Culture Gallery)5/15, Albuquerque, NM (Launchpad)5/16, Oklahoma City, OK (Conservatory)5/17, Columbia, MS (Mojo)5/18, Cincinnati, OH (Southgate House)5/19, Ann Arbor, MI (Blind Pig)5/20, Cleveland Heights, OH (Grog Shop)5/21, Rochester, NY (Bug Jar)
Aloha on MySpace Aloha at Polyvinyl Records
