If you assume all Houston, TX music comes standard with a Stetson cowboy hat, you obviously haven't heard Liquid Casing, which – if its members wear any headgear at all – isn't at all prepared to ride off into the Texas sunset on trusty horses.A Separate|Divide is an album filled with noisy, angry rock & roll that has clearly taken a few queues from Miles Davis' spacey Bitches Brew jazz-rock explorations. When vocalist Alvaro Rodriguez sings, which is not on every song, it's done so with bitter vitriol that is said to focus on "man's exploitative use of arbitrary divides." However, it's oftentimes difficult to figure out exactly what Rodriguez is actually trying to say because the music tumbles at you speedily with avalanches of sound.
One of the instrumental elements that give this album its jazz vibe is the saxophone work, which is particularly plentiful during "Alabrista." On this track, saxophonist Okikiolu Olufokunbi is given the opportunity to stretch out on an extended, memorable solo.
The track titled "Fingerprint Armada," is driven by punk-ish drumming and messy, yet planned, instrumentation that brings Captain Beefheart to mind. Rodriguez sings its words breathlessly, as he expresses frustration.
"The Line Which Divides" stands apart from the rest, as it has an epic feel to it. It sounds a little like a Trojan army march, where you can nearly picture uniformed men marching as to war.
A Separate|Divide may not always be pretty, but neither is the truth. This is confrontational music that is well-played and sincere, and not to be ignored.
