Sha's Feckel - Feckel For Lovers (2015)

Sha’s Feckel has no interest in the jazz status quo. For its sophomore album Feckel for Lovers, the Swiss quartet has chosen to emphasize the rock element of its jazz-rock leanings, amping up the energy and crunch by several factors. It’s music inspired by its raucous standing room audiences, but there’s plenty for the chin-stroking set, too.

The band is part of a new wave of Swiss acts stretching the boundaries of pattern-based, minimalist-inspired music deep into the expansive rock realm. It’s comprised of saxophonist Sha and drummer Kaspar Rast—both also part of Nik Bartsch’s Ronin—and guitarist Urs Mu?ller and bassist Sarah Zaugg. The group’s previous bassist Lionel Gafner performs on the album.

“Feckel is about producing the most powerful, anarchic sound waves possible,” said Sha. “We explore all sorts of rhythmic structures that talk to your brain, as well as your body. We try to make uneven meters sound fluid, so listeners can really feel immersed and connected to the music. It’s rough, tough, loud stuff, but has a positive energy which allows us to spread love to and through the audience.”

Feckel is also a band with a huge sense of humor. Considering it titled its first album Greatest Hits, it won’t be any surprise that Feckel for Lovers continues an ironic tradition.

“There was a posthumous John Coltrane album called Coltrane for Lovers, full of wonderful ballads,” said Sha. “But the title was so creepy, abstract and diminishing that I thought ‘One day, I’ll similarly name an album to put a different spin on the concept.’ The title also reflects these times of streaming and piracy. We love what we do and hope people also love it and support it so we can continue.”

As with its previous album, Feckel for Lovers includes two imaginative reinventions of tunes by the Manchester rock act Oceansize: “Build Us a Rocket Then…” and “Massive Bereavement.”