"Naked Came the She Squid" is the second release by Torso, the Boston duo of bassist Louis Selvitella and guitarist Lee Leffler. It's electronica with a jazz base whose songs are anchored by guitar (often acoustic), bass, and drum samples. The rhythm is largely influenced by broken beat patterns, but generally varied and joined by loops, many being sax or trumpet with a few voice snippets on top, and occasional keyboard flavorings.

1. Bombay Speedster
2. At the Sloan
3. If you prefer...
4. Hammer and Chiseler
5. Noko
6. Herky
7. Black Hole Oasis
8. The Medicine Goes Down
9. 10:10 pm
10. On Top of Old Crazy
11. Ultraviolet Weekend
12. Equilibrium

There is some nice melodic and funky stuff here, though one drawback is that everything is based in four-beat measures, which makes some of the tunes less interesting.

On the other hand, just about everything has a mysterious quality that is hard to pin down but is so appealing - a bit of exotica, Eastern music influence, lounge, and minor keys. It's a late night sort of feel with a lot of bongos and a cool title that's well worth a listen.

~ Dave Howell

Add a Comment