The Jersey City Independent"

Editor’s note: A few hours after we published this review, we received the following note from Aphonia lead singer Zeena Koda, which speaks to the band’s EP production values, mentioned in the review: “We actually realized that the batch of CDs you got were damaged (which probably accounts for the production you heard haha!) so we had to redo them, but glad you enjoyed it.”

A few weeks ago I ventured down to the Iron Monkey’s gift to Jersey City, IM Automata Chino. I hadn’t had the chance to check the place out since it opened and with a free night on my part and a record release party for Jersey City’s The Old Man and his Po’ Buckra scheduled on theirs, I decided to make it happen.

The great thing about a place like the IMAC is that, for the average Jersey City resident, the bands that are booked there are relatively unknown. That means that on any given weekend night one has the chance to “discover” great new music and, if folks are anything like me, there is a kind of unparalleled allegiance to a band that is formed when one imagines he has made a discovery. Anyway, on that Friday night a few weeks ago I made a discovery, or a couple discoveries, of local bands you may not have ever heard of.

I arrived at the venue just in time to catch the beginning of Aphonia’s set. In promo materials, the venue described Aphonia’s sound as “epic melodic post-hardcore rock.” Not a bad description, actually, though I would add another descriptor in there somewhere: theatrical. This describes not only their performance on the floor at IMAC, but somehow as well, their EP, entitled Tidals which I picked up immediately as their set came to a close. The band’s lead singer Zeena Koda commands the crowd and the listener’s attention with her powerful vocals that, in no small way, evoke a vivid combination of a leading lady in a melodramatic musical and an emo singer from that genre’s golden days. The overall effect of the band’s post-rock inspired grooves and Koda’s vocals is something of a modern day opera with all the twists and turns, emotional ups and downs that come with that type of performance.

The EP’s five tracks guide the listener, loosely, through an incredible range of emotions and subject matter, from the ever present breakup anthem to heavier themes as in the title track “Tidals” through which the refrain “Only God can judge me” weaves in and out until the final note, Koda’s vocals repeating in one last, desperate cry “Only God can judge.”

The pace of the record moves quickly, thanks to the driving rhythm section of Gregory Szaro on drums and Steven Yadlosky on bass. Jolil Ula and Justin Rosa split guitar responsibilities with Ula taking the lead, creating a sonic soundscape that at times seems to compete with Koda’s vocals for prominence but somehow, throughout the course of each track, manages to reconcile the two. The ambient noise and sustained notes that fill out Aphonia’s sound are provided by Jose Valencia on the keys and the combined force of the band is most certainly reflected by the EP’s title Tidals, as the overall effect is comparable to a tidal wave of sound, an effect noted by the band and accounted for in the relief the listener enjoys in the fourth track, a more subdued instrumental entitled “Sirens,” before Koda is back for the EP’s last push, “Trials and Tribulations.”

If there is anything with which to fault Aphonia it would have to be the EP’s lack of production quality. The band has not found a label yet and, therefore, one must assume this effort was independently funded, not a bad thing in itself of course, but for a band with such a richly textured sound, advanced production skill is surely beneficial.

As far as production goes, the record that was being honored that night at Automata Chino, Taxes by The Old Man and his Po’ Buckra, scores high marks. The echoic and loose production of The Old Man’s EP fully contributes to the dark and sometimes scary mood the music sets. For those not familiar with The Old Man’s sound, it is something like the music of Bon Iver and the vocals of Tom Waits — or, if you’re in a dark room and you’re naturally edgy, it’s the voice of the scariest monster you could ever imagine. After picking up this record I eagerly showed it to a few friends to get their impressions of it and perhaps the most descriptive response I got was, “I wouldn’t want to listen to this alone.”

And yet, there’s something about Taxes that I keep coming back to. Perhaps it’s the Old Man’s penchant for telling a hell of a story, or the space that is created between his raspy voice and the softer, more melodic accompaniment provided by Zeena Koda from Aphonia. Or maybe it’s the hypnotic percussion, provided by The Old Man’s foot stomp and the hand percussion provided by Szaro, again, also from Aphonia. Whatever it is, the oddly catchy refrain in “Monkey Paw,” the prayer for rescue in “In Love with the Devil” or the terrifying tale of “Stanley Jean” that closes out the record, there is something about The Old Man’s sound — it’s not easy on the ears by any stretch of the imagination, but it is evocative, like a horror movie that you know will give you nightmares for a week, but you can’t help but watch.

Come to think of it, despite the high level of collaboration between the musicians, these two records may not be aimed at the same audience, unless that audience has extremely eclectic taste. But, if nothing else The Old Man and his Po’ Buckra and Aphonia show the great range of excellent music that is bubbling just under the surface in and around Jersey City.