Some Local Flavor

Baltimore band ilyAIMY describes their sound as "acoustic mayhem". After seeing them recently at College Perk, I'd have to agree. Beyond mayhem, it's an acoustic attack, an explosion of percussion, joined with powerful, haunting vocals. I bought their album The Fifth Circle right after the show.

Frontman Rob Hinkal plays the hell out of his guitar with such ferociousness it pounds and resonates like a team of hardcore drummers. Hinkal's band has been called an acoustic Tool, and part of that has to be his voice's resemblance to that of Maynard Keenan. Hinkal, however, possesses not only Keenan's howling prog-rock rage, but also a growling, guttural range that makes his vocals more primal than the Tool singer(Incidentally, ilyAIMY members Sharif Kellogg and Rowan Corbett did a kick-ass cover of Sober before ilyAIMY's set at the Perk, part of their IO project).

Hinkal and vocalist Heather Lloyd are the creative core of ilyAIMY(which stands for I Love You And I Miss You). Live, Lloyd pounded on the djembe(a hand drum, being lame I had to look up the real name), belted out songs and was the gravitational center of the band; everything seemed to flow from her. All this while seated with a bad leg(she came in on crutches). I can't imagine how dynamic she is when her mobility is not limited.

Keyboardist Sharif Kellogg and percussionist Rowan Corbett round out the attack. Corbett's double-handed drumming is something that has to be seen to be believed; it's the 400 pound bone-hammered heart of the band.

Fifth Circle does a great job of capturing ilyAIMY's live energy. Any band with a signature sound flirts with the danger of all of their songs sounding the same. Every time I felt I could apply that label to this band, they kicked my ass. Whether it was a vocal harmony, a surprising electric guitar or violin, ilyAIMY shows great depth. My favorite track Strain hits the musical trifecta with music, lyrics, and a vocal styling that perfectly match each other. It's a song that you imagine was born, not written.

Buy this CD now, you won't be disappointed.