Finally. One of my most favorite Greek bands returns to the discography after several years. Tuber accomplish something very difficult in my opinion, as they play instrumental music. And it takes a lot of talent and compositional skill to manage to keep the listener’s interest when there are no lyrics. After all, they have stated that they prefer their audience to focus on the music.
So, third full-length for Tuber, or one could say it’s fourth, since the self-titled release of 2012 is too long to be called an EP. It was followed by “Desert Overcrowded” (2013) and “Out Of The Blue” (2017). They also have “Live At Freak Valley” (2016) that was recorded at Freak Valley Festival in Germany. “Joyful Science” comes to continue the series of very good releases for the quartet from Serres.
Their music could be classified somewhere between post-rock and progressive rock, with a few (fortunately) stoner influences. What Tuber manage to do is to create compositions with beautiful melodies that make listening a pleasant journey. They are one of the few bands that you can listen to and relax, unwind, close your eyes and let your mind travel. They also have this characteristic that their songs usually start with a calm pattern followed by a delightful crescendo of intensity towards the end.
Mid-tempo rhythms, riffs that stick in your mind, rhythm section that ideally complements the guitars as well as some synths that make their appearance from time to time to give a different color to each track or, in the case of “Chain Of Signs”, trumpet with very interesting results. All in all, Tuber show how much they have been missing from the scene. “Joyful Science” is an enjoyable rock album that will surely satisfy the fans of the band and will probably win over many of those who decide to listen to them for the first time.
