Articles

Blivit - Unhand the World

by Jason Fogelson, March, 2005
Genre: Rock
Label: The Orchard
Release Date: January 4, 2005
List Price: $17.98

You've got to admire a band that doesn't sit around waiting for things to happen. Blivit, the Philadelphia-based trio, wrote, produced and released Unhand the World on their own, with no record company contract in hand. The resulting CD is an eclectic mix of bouncy music with a punky-ska beat, wild bass lines and straight ahead rock melodies.

They're sort of famous around the Philly area for being a "bastard" rock band with no guitars-the album credits reveal Dave Palan on bass & backing vocals, Jeremy Dyen on keyboards, tabla and lead vocals, and Jay Horvath on drums. Like fellow East-coasters Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Blivit defies easy description and categorization. This album rocks hard, but is closer to fusion than to metal.

It's the lyrics that make a difference. The title track is a rocker's ode to Zen: "When I unhand the world, the world / it hands itself right back / My body is a feather and my soul is a breeze." "Ugly Inside" is funny and true to life. "Lobotomy," the most conventional straight-ahead rocker, isn't really all that straight-ahead upon closer examination, as a cheerful tune belies the patient's plea, "Doctor, do you have the tools / For a brighter day?" Lead vocalist Jeremy Dyen displays classic rock pipes that would make Tommy Shaw of Styx sit up and take notice.

There are a couple of missteps-the short interludes "Ugly" and "This is Brain Surgery" add nothing to the whole. But overall, Unhand the World is an excellent introduction to a very talented band.

Unusual for an independent release, Unhand the World also has a multimedia component. Pop the CD into your computer and feast on the extras: A jukebox feature, screensaver, a funny skateboarding game and a special web link that takes you to a site devoted to purchasers of the CD. On the site, there are exclusive MP3s, covers and demos, and some hints about the next Blivit album. It's enhanced content that actually has some content-a rarity, in my experience. Nice work, Blivit. Now if we could just work on that name.