Draw Breath

NELS CLINE SINGERS: Draw Breath
Cryptogramophone, 2007

Monster guitarist’s trio with top Bay Area improvisers Scott Amendola & Devin Hoff. Supple and aggressive, they thrash with ear-splitting intensity, then seamlessly switch to quiet murmurings, folksy musings or chugging rock. Wilco’s Glenn Kotche guests on track 9.

Fo’s Picks: 2, 4 go way out; 1, 6 are non-threatening; 9 is just strange

1. 6:50 – dark & moody: heavy bass like a tolling bell, slow bluesy guitar
2. 8:47 – uptempo, twisted jazz riffing, quiet break, impenetrable wall of guitar, fast bass solo, huge crashes, turbulence, chugging ending
3. 4:11 – uptempo, thumping rock into bowed bass solo, guitar heroics
4. 15:59 – broad soundscape: wanders through metallic rattles & shimmies, quiet burblings, harsh electronics, smashing freakouts, slow metal
5. 6:13 – relaxed, moody ballad, a bit folksy; sounds like backing to lyrics
6. 4:06 – mellow acoustic meanderings through several melodic ideas
7. 14:50 – 1st half is a steady uptempo jam (watch out for silent break), then quiet electronic burbling slowly grows into chugging rock
8. 3:37 – slow acoustic musings
9. 8:18 – quiet pulse, then psychedelic atmospherics, with groaning bass & tinkly accents, oddball effects; powerful pop-like bit near the end

[ Fo ] 23-Jun-07