Montreal, Canada based band Algorhythm with a progressive rock-jazz fusion sound was founded by Alexander Lioubimenko who performs vocals, keyboards and is a songwriter. The band also consists of members Hugo Leclerc performing the woodwinds, Marc-Gabriel Laverrière playing guitar, Marc Scott on bass, and Greg Kustka-Tsimbidis on drums. Many of the members bring professional musical knowledge from schools such as McGill Schulich School of Music, Berklee College of Music and UQAM. With the release of their debut EP, Algorhythm has been able to make a name for themselves in the Montreal music scene. Inspired by artists such as Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and Pink Floyd, the band uses intense tones from rock and nuances of jazz to create their unmatchable style along with many improvisations throughout their songs that allow the listener to experience music like no other. This technique allows for interpretation and imagination from the audience and triggers a deeper interaction with the music itself. Algorhythm is currently working on the music video for “Why Now”, their first single of their EP, along with recording a new song for future release.
“Why Now” has very funky tones that start of the track with the perfect blend of jazz and rock to form an incomparable sound that has flashes of many older decades of music compiled into one masterpiece. Alexander’s vocals are rough around the edges yet refined with the sound of experience and a passion for the music the group is creating that you can physically feel through the pulsing vocalizations. The improvisation sections during the different solos add character to this feel good track and I commend Algorhythm for combining such a vast number of instrumental sounds into this focused, meaningful song that gets the mind wandering through a dreamscape. You get the initial feeling of being transported to another land with the nature sounds that can be found at the beginning of “Why Now” and the story that is delivered through the lyrics helps paint this picture of a distant place that is full of mystery. I personally really love that there is a chance for each individual member to showcase their talents and you can get a view of each person embedded in their solo sections with the emotion that can be felt through each instrument.
Listen to "Why Now" here and get to know more about the band in our interview below!
Hey Algorhythm! Fantastic to chat with you! Can you tell us a bit more about yourselves?
We are a progressive rock/jazz fusion band based in Montreal, Canada. Our music is highly influenced Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and all kind of other groovy/funky stuff. We are all in our twenties and have studied music professionally. The band has been in existence for a little under a year now. Alexander Lioubimenko is our band leader and the sole music writer in the group. We like to goof around and try to deliver our somewhat complex music in the most delicate of ways.
Can you walk us through what the creative process for “Why Now"?
Why Now is a song that started with a very groovy bass line riff that you can witness in the song. In fact, this riff was played on a Fender Rhodes and later transitioned to a Clavinet/Hammond Organ mix of sounds. The idea behind the melody was to keep everything very pentatonic and smooth meanwhile the band is driving at the speed of light with a heavy groove. The halftime idea after the second chorus was initially intended as a hip-hop breakdown, but turned into a drum solo and sweet (and I mean super sweet) bass solo. The mellotron strings are reminiscent of King Crimson and help culminate the song beautifully.
Where did you draw inspiration for the lyrics in “Why Now”?
The meaning behind the words to "Why Now" is quite deep... This song is about vengeance brought to those that have been dealing in wrongdoings and eventually their complete wipe out. Pretty dark! The image of a sort of beast that takes care of business is quickly introduced in the first verse and later we witness the withdrawal/regret that these criminals experience, but it is now too late. The ultimate question lies, "Why now? Why not sooner?"
From an artist’s perspective, what sets you apart from others in the music industry?
Our music is highly interactive as it exhibits a high degree of improvisation. The musicians constantly create on the spot, and so no matter how many times you see or hear us, it will never be the same. Also, progressive rock is often defined by a mix of elements, however, we believe that the genres and specificity that lie within our compositions are different from the "traditional" prog rock. Jazz occupies a large portion of our music and so we often tend to consider ourselves as a progressive jazz group with the brute driven energy of rock!
Tell us what’s next for Algorhythm in 2019!
We have a lot of exciting news, and releases planned for this year. Although we cannot reveal specific dates (just yet), there will be a music video that is currently in the works for one of our songs from the debut EP, a brand new single with a live in studio clip, a bunch more artwork, new compositions, and a bunch of live performances. We are looking forward to each and everyone one of these, and hope you are too.
Connect with Algorhythm on social media:
www.instagram.com/algorhythm.mtl www.facebook.com/algorhythm.mtl www.twitter.com/algorhythmmtl www.algorhythm-mtl.com