Album review of 'Ternary' by Sorry No Ferrari

Album review of ‘Ternary’ by Sorry No Ferrari

December 25, 2010 1 Comment

Sorry No Ferrari’s new album Ternary is like a raging river of music, a constant flow of tapping guitar riffs and melodic sounds, occasionally landing in a serene place, occasionally picking up gems along the way. This album will zone you out, and draw out feelings and ideas as it jumps, slides and jitters.

I like this album because all of the musicians on it are masterful players, and they all form a tapestry of sounds and mathematical melodies. There is a lot of use of counterpoint, and you may not notice at first, but there is always an instrument that is playing to balance and imbalance the structure. The songs are lengthy, and it will take several listens to get the full effect. Sorry No Ferrari uses many different instruments to give certain effects and add flavor to the sound. The angular sounds bounce back and forth off the aural walls, and distorted guitars pierce the other. You even get a wailing old school solo on the last track “Talos 2” at three minutes that will melt your face. There are seven tracks on the album, and it goes from rock, to classical sounds to newer experimental sounds, all while keeping the same element of controlled chaos.

My favorite song is Ternary 3, because it reminds me of a jaunty song about the sea. I don’t know what effect or harmony they used, but it has this streamlined, dissonant sound to it. After the intro, it begins another round of complex melodies and rhythms, occasionally going back to the introductory sequence. Another song I liked a lot was “Setun”, because of the use of acoustic guitars, and later cellos, which give it a truly inspirational sound. This song is very emotional, and it takes it’s time to flesh itself out. Although, it is jarred about 40 seconds in, sending you for a spin until the bass kicks in with the low frequencies landing you safely on the pad that is the center of the music. The track changes frequently, which is representative of the theme throughout the album, from one time signature to another until you hit that plane of pure peace…and after a few breaths of fresh air, you are back into the chaos again.

The album scores high because of its droning back and forth melodies and intelligent, well thought out structures. These things are unique to few bands in Atlanta, and I hope that new bands will be influenced by SNF’s style and rhythms. I look forward to hearing more of these sounds in the future from Sorry No Ferrari, hopefully their next album will be even more cohesive and beautifully complex.