Meanwhile in Costa Rica, a band called erth have released an album entitled “b.” For as simple as the title is, the music on “b” is anything but simple. Style wise, erth are somewhere between experimental and jazz. There’s no doubting the band’s talent when it comes to playing. The whole album has many great musical moments. But it’s also hard to pin them down stylistically, because they can and do jump around a bit.

The album starts with the sound of a Gregorian chant, or something along those lines, before the band take the reigns on the opener “Uriel” which would not sound too out of place on an Ozric Tentacles album if the Tentacles decided to play funk. “NU” is also a bit spacey and sounds like a warped record. “Shut Up Baby!” is like Frank Zappa mixing jazz with Merengue.

erth really keep the listener guessing and not even just from song to song but sometimes within the song itself. “Albino / Eucalipto” starts very grand and beautiful before it takes a massive detour into a Latin jazz hybrid based vibe. It features some amazing piano work from Andrés Bonilla on the whole track. Like I said, erth can PLAY. The only kind of band that can pull off a release as complex as this has to have top notch musicians, and that’s what we have here.

The album closes with a favorite, the 11 plus minute “Beto (LucyFerZam pts 1-3).” It’s starts out as space rock mixed with reggae. Why not? The mid section has an awesome synth solo and a very crazy section before slipping back to Hawkwind playing Bob Marley. I can honestly say that while each element of erth’s sound might not be “original,” the way that the band flawlessly combine these elements and how effortlessly they can transition between these sections is quite original. “b” is not an album to be missed if you like a band with a sense of adventure along with a slight sense of humor as well.

Rating: 8.5/10

Tracklist:
1. Uriel
2. NU
3. C fiestero
4. Shut up baby!
5. rrorro
6. MIAU
7. Albino / Eucalipto
8. Paz
9. Un día de suerte
10. Espíritu americano
11. Cantin latin chain
12. Beto (LucyFerZam pts 1-3)

Bandcamp: https://erthcostarica.bandcamp.com/album/b