If you are paying homage to Chicago, then there are plenty of musical styles from which to choose. In this collaborative album, Kate Simko and Tevo Howard – both natives of the city – opt to celebrate its classic house origins, but also give away a bit of the soulful side of the city. They alternate analogue and digital really well too, a combination that is signposted in the introduction, with its use of harp and piano – and in a way previews the ‘Polyrhythmic Theme’ itself, a beautifully blended instrumental. ‘Bring It’, featuring Amunet Shah, is a classy number too, deep in mood but showing an element of tension that runs through the album, while ‘Tomorrow And Other Days’ feels the funk a bit more with its super flexible bass line. At the same time there are the more mundane aspects of living in a huge built up area, and even tracks with titles as alluring as ‘Exotica Exhibition’ don’t quite shake off this thread, and in fact this is quite a haunting, nocturnal piece of music. There is a really effective ebb and flow in the moods of ‘Polyrhythmic’, a finished article that does its creators and its home city great credit.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
{http://soundcloud.com/last-night-on-earth/kate-simko-tevo-howard-polyrhythmic-theme}
