Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten (2007) [RE-UP]

Date: Dec. 26, 2017

Stories Not Forgotten is the 2007 CD by Wassabi Collective. They are a group from British Columbia who display what reggae music is like from the west coast of Canada.

Fresh from a morning high, a cool breeze in the air helped put my feet back on the ground. Listening to Wassabi Collective’s new album, Stories Not Forgotten, a mix of dub, reggae and tranquil soft-rock, only eased the mood.

The tense moments I felt leading up to a telephone interview I conducted with Bad Religion bass player Jay Bentley were replaced, after the relaxed chat, with euphoric calm and controlled pleasure, and if ever there was the perfect album to listen to when in your own world then Wassabi Collective’s just released third album surely has to be a top contender. The yet-to-be-signed five-piece band from Nelson B.C. serve up a fresh flavour of music to chill to with their space-like guitar hooks and percussionist Melissa Meretsky’s strangely rasta-like, jazzy voice.

Perfect reggae for a perfect day is the best way to describe Wassabi Collective, but the band also incorporates tribal jazz, folk music and soul into their sound to create a positive vibe and progressive energy that make this album easy to listen to, and even more fun to groove to. The long instrumentals in between vocals keep the interest in songs going, especially with the breezy “Dune”; Meretsky’s soaring vocals coupled with Brent “Gisto” Hongisto’s Santana-influenced guitar solos bring a touch of psychedelia to the already diverse-sounding album. “Belly-Up,” one long instrumental, is the focal point of the album; a lengthy wild Western sound piece, akin to something off Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the song fits in despite the difference in genre from the rest of the album. Other tunes such as the transcendental “Forever” and the straight-up dub reggae “Counterman,” with lyrics about angels, planting seeds and the earth, cement Wassabi Collective as pioneers of organic reggae.

At the end of the album there is an added piece where Meretsky raps over the band’s combined beat-boxing efforts, an impressive ending to a magically mellow album. Like the Easy Star All Stars hit album, Radiodread, or Michael Franti’s Yell Fire, Wassabi Collective’s Stories Not Forgotten is certain to be a major influence on the new reggae sound that is taking Vancouver by storm.

01. One Day
02. Blues On My Mind
03. Stories
04. Almighty
05. Dune
06. Herb
07. Counterman
08. Belly Up
09. Spirit Guide
10. Ylang Ylang
11. Forever

–-
Brent "Gisto" Hongisto-guitar, vocals
Jimmy Lewis-drums, vocals
Melissa Meretsky-percussion, vocals
Scott Milne-bass
Rajh Levinson-keyboards

Produced by Wassabi Collective, Michael Harrison, & Dean Irving
Additional pre-production by Nicolas Morin
Engineered and mixed by Michael Harrison & Dean Irving
Recorded at Centre for Arts and Technology (Kelowna) & The Rajhmahal (fall 05, winter 06)
Mixed at Intent Records (Crawford Bay, BC)
Mastered by Phil Demetro @ Lacquer Channel Mastering (Toronto, Canada)

EAC Log

EAC extraction logfile from 10. June 2007, 7:07 for CD
Wassabi Collective / Stories Not Forgotten

Used drive : LITE-ON DVDRW SOHW-1633S Adapter: 0 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure with NO C2, accurate stream, disable cache
Read offset correction : 12
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No

Used output format : Internal WAV Routines
44.100 Hz; 16 Bit; Stereo

Other options :
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Installed external ASPI interface

Track 1
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Peak level 98.8 %
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Test CRC F6269E6E
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Track 2
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Track 3
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Track 4
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Peak level 98.8 %
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Copy OK

Track 5
Filename D:\FLAC\Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten (2007) [FLAC]\05 - Dune.wav

Peak level 98.8 %
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Track 6
Filename D:\FLAC\Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten (2007) [FLAC]\06 - Herb.wav

Peak level 98.8 %
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Track 7
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Track 8
Filename D:\FLAC\Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten (2007) [FLAC]\08 - Belly Up.wav

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Track 9
Filename D:\FLAC\Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten (2007) [FLAC]\09 - Spirit Guide.wav

Peak level 98.8 %
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Track 10
Filename D:\FLAC\Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten (2007) [FLAC]\10 - Ylang Ylang.wav

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Track 11
Filename D:\FLAC\Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten (2007) [FLAC]\11 - Forever.wav

Peak level 98.8 %
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Copy OK

No errors occured

End of status report

Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten (2007) **[RE-UP]**

Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten (2007) [RE-UP]