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Stanton Swihart of The All Music Guide:
"Opening with some atonal scraping noise courtesy of what sounds like toy piano on the opening title cut, Onoffon make it known from the beginning that Your Mind is an entirely different animal from the band's first album. While its wonderful instrumental prowess and locked-down ensemble playing is still in place, Onoffon take a distinct left turn on Your Mind, dispensing with its former New Age-isms and opting to add World music, New Orleans, and Latin influences while maintaining its exciting jazz-rock and progressive direction. Slight blues touches also remain intact, especially when Don Lake pulls out harmonica, as he does on "Alley Want." The title song also shows the band incorporating fractured bits of avant-garde composition, intriguingly placed in the context of pseudo-bop fusion. The monster that results sounds a bit like Primus trying to play jazz. Although Onoffon does not show this atonal side again on the album, it has upped the stylistic ante of their music. The band members have more fully revealed a lighthearted side of their music, as well, from the appealingly upbeat "Mardi Gras," which has a sneaky World beat garnished with Latin percussion and soprano sax, to Von Babasin's light-jazz crooning on the pre-rock pop of "Bebe's Song." They even have an abruptly erotic ode to the delights of women, "Wet Legs," and, conceptually, the album seems to lean toward the most rascally thoughts of men. "Shadowglass" is a lovely instrumental that demonstrates all the band's strengths: individual chops that blend into excellent ensemble playing, fluid melodicism, and skilled songwriting. "Opus," too, shows Onoffon at the height of its instrumental abilities, with its improvisational harmonic coloring lending a psychedelic flavor to the song. The band's lead vocals are still the weakest part of the Onoffon equation, being neither gritty enough to contrast the mellifluousness of the music nor airy enough to complement it, and, indeed, the vocals seem to be downplayed quite a bit on Your Mind, never becoming intrusive. Some of the songs that have vocals are even primarily instrumental cuts, and the thing that a listener comes away with from the album is the imagistic music with its accomplished stylistic interweaving."
Jocke Ohlund of First Light (Sweden):
ONOFFON
Your Mind
Background: ONOFFON is a band based in California. "Your Mind" is their second release, their first, "Surrender Now", showcased a blend of various types of music skillfully played with a feeling of improvisation and a subtlety that made it an absolute joy to hear.
The tracks: The first track, the title track, starts out with what sounds like someone playing on a couple of glasses and various other strange noises before the bass kicks in. Then there's a flurry of voices and noises and some intense drumming before the singing/chanting starts. A very intense piece of music with some bebop and funk elements but I can't really say what it sounds like, you'll just have to hear for yourselves. One word: Intense. The second track is the instrumental "Shadowglass". Dominated by a flute this track brings Jethro Tull to mind and that's not just because of the flute but also because of the fact that Glen Garrett actually plays it the way I would imagine Ian Anderson playing on a track like this. The track starts with the flute, an acoustic guitar and the bass doing most of the work but after about two minutes the electric guitar kicks in and continues the dreamy theme of the flute. A beautiful track!! "Alley Want" is next, it's a bluesy track strenghtened further by the use of a harmonica. Very good vocals by Don Lake here and as on the previous track his guitarplaying is really good. This track has a very nice rhythm and supported also by the backing vocals of Stacey Baltes and Carole Couture-Olivieri it provides a really nice groove. Now if I was one to be easily surprised at the twist and turns of ONOFFON's music I would have been surprised by this track, as it is though I just thought "ok, mambo". ONOFFON once again show their diversity by moving in to the field of latin-american music. This is a very good track and for me one of the best on the album. Glen Garrett really shines here, putting his soprano sax to great use. Dave Goode is also very good (as always!) and Von Babasin too. A great track with the individual skills of the bandmembers really showing. I remember playing this one when my brother dropped in for one of his surprise visits. After standing in the hallway for a minute he says "this sounds great, what a sound!" I looked at him rather surprised, saying "I didn´t know you liked this type of music"...? He says: "No I didn't mean the music, I meant the sound, It's so clear it even makes your crappy speakers sound good"... I hate to admit it but compared to his speakers mine are not very good but he's right the sound quality of this recording is, as it was on the previous one, simply superb. Just when you thought it can't get much better... it does. "Ocean's Cry" starts off with an almost hypnotic rhythm which after just over two minutes changes in to one of the nicest grooves I've heard for a long time. Before once again returning to the more hypnothic lines created by the guitar, drums and bass. Then after about 4:20 the wonderfully flowing guitars return supported by a warm bluesy-sounding harmonica before once again returning to where it started. A great track, reminiscent of some on the tracks on the previous album, this could easily have been found on "Surrender Now". So far ONOFFON have stuck to their plan perfectly, a plan that seems to be not to have a plan but just play what comes naturally and what sounds good at the time. Trying to label their music would probably be a complete waste of time, (or a waste of labels) you can do that until your ears drop off and you still won't be close. The sound so far is very much like the first but it's more solid for some reason. Solid in the sense that it feels like they've managed to put together all the elements of their music, all the different types of music that they cover into what could be described as a typical ONOFFON sound (if indeed there is such a thing!?) "Bebe's Song" is next, its an uncomplicated jazzy happy-go-lucky track. It's the shortest track on the album and it feels more like a breather before the next track. It's nothing special but not bad either. The seventh track "For Hell Sake's" can be compared to "Alley Want" the third track. It has abluesrock feel with the harmonica playing a prominent part. The tempo is a little higher than on "Alley Want" but I find it a little repetetive and not as good as "Alley Want". This however together with "Shadowglass", "You Know I Can't" and "Mardi Gras" constitutes my favourite tracks on the album. A beautiful instrumental, "Opus" for me has it all really. Wonderful guitars, both acoustic and electric, supported by subdued drumming and bass playing adding to the beautiful atmosphere created. "You Know I Can't" is a slow ballad superbly sung by Don Lake, supported by wonderfully crafted acoustic guitarplaying and subtle bassplaying it has a very nice groove to it and a wonderful warm candlelight atmosphere. One of my favourites. Another beautiful track. The penultimate track, or should I say the last, has a raw exciting sound made even stronger by the vocals of Don Lake and Von Babasin. An "electric" track with a haunting sound and heavy raw guitars that kick in about three minutes into the song. Also with some nice instrumental interplays between the vocal parts. "Credits" is exactly what it says: it's the credits list in the booklet read by the bandmembers with some really good laid back jazz rhythms playing in the background. After about half the song the credit reading stops and the music continues to close out the track.
Conclusion: This is another very good album from ONOFFON, it's even
better than their first. The sound is very much the same as on the first
but maybe more streamlined, not in a negative way mind you, but in the sense
that the tracks seem to fit together a little bit better. While the music
within the tracks so to speak, is as varied as ever the transitions between
the tracks is not as abrupt as on "Surrender Now", and also on
this album it's easier to find tracks that resemble another, or a couple
of other tracks on the album. It feels more "whole and complete"
for lack of a better description.. The music feels just as improvised and
is just as good as on the first album and the sound..well the quality of
the sound is absolute top-class. It really helps bring the music alive and
"alive" is perhaps the word that best sums up ONOFFON's music.
It really grabs hold of you and makes you listen... and when you do you
will realize just as I do that this is absolutely great music performed
by very skilled musicians, that have fun when they play too, and the music
reflects that. Maybe that's why the "alive" part comes across
so strong. A very good album that is highly recommended for anyone into
the jazzier elements of progressive rock or just into jazzfusion or bluesrock.
My rating: 7.5 /10
Diane Jessurun of The Incredibly Small Concert Hall:
"A band from Southern California has released their second CD
entitled "Your Mind". A CD filled
with a wide variety of styles including Jazz, Bluegrass, Alternative Rock,
and some Contemporary sounds. This is a group of musician's that have a
distinct way of channeling their style into magnificent musical pieces that
showcase their musical talents. There are 11 Songs on "Your Mind"
each of which share intense diversity and soul. The group has some widely
talented musicians including Don Lake, Dave Goode, Von Babasin, Carole Couture-Olivieri,
Stacey Baltes, and Glen Garrett. The first track "Your Mind" reminded
me of the Brian Setzer Orchestra with it's cool groove and vocals. I also
really enjoyed track 6 entitled "Bebe's Song". Listening to it
I could almost see Frank Sinatra on stage singing his interpretation of
it swaying from side to side as he sang "Everyone's telling me they
think you're crazy for lovin' a guy like me". There are three instrumental
tracks on the CD, actually four if you count the truly unique "Credits"
song in which Don, Von, and Dave speak the whole credits section printed
on the inside of their CD jacket. The three instrumental's "Shadowglass",
"Mardi Gras", and "Opus" are truly unique and are played
with a wonderful feel. The songwriting talent makes the band. I give them
Four Stars for musicianship and an Excellent rating for CD mastering and
awesome artwork. They also have been given excellent reviews by other web
sites, all of which are posted on their web site. Check it out!"
© Copyright 1997-2000 ONOFFON Productions
First date online: Mar. 11, 1997