Ilad Is Here and There

It seems almost appropriate that Ilad spelled backwards is Dali. This Richmond, Virginia band, much like the famed artist, is out there, way out there. This is a band that clearly feels that the point of a journey is not the destination but actually how you getthere. In musical terms, Ilad are not actually concerned with with a beginning or ending but rather the minutes that are stuck between.

With that being said, their album, Here//Thereis like a case of Deja Vu because it pretty much sums up Ilad's musical explorations. Put it this way, Here//Thereis neither here nor there in fact, it's all over the place. This is a record that crams so much music onto the disc it's almost hard to believe that Ilad fit it all on one album. Here//Thereis a prog-like masterpiece that's like listening to the equivalent of a Spinal Tap jazz odyssey if it were played by King Crimson and Stereolab. Or better yet, it's epic ethereal songs have a jazz like feel that's not too far from someone like Mahavishnu Orchestra if they were sedated.

Here//Thereis a complex record that loops, winds, dips, and plays itself around the galaxy in a journey around the stars. Ilad have a tremendous amount of talent and are unafraid to share it and they try to pack as much in the span of the album as they can. However, it seems as though the band feel restricted by the barriers that today's current music formats place on them. My guess is they would love the opportunity to just continue to jam forever in an endless cycle of riffs and song cycles. One listen to "Wish for a Flood," and you'll see what I mean as this tune could be looped off into infinity and Ilad would love it.

Ilad have come up with a record that will stir musicians minds and boggle everyone else's. Here//There is the sort of record musicians dream about and listeners spend hours trying to comprehend. While Here//There might not be a pop record that the mainstream will find and overwhelming sense of joy in (it might be to complicated for that), but those that are more musically inclined will find this a alluring and fascinating work.