Reviewed: 2019-02-08
Reviewed by: Tom McCarter
FCCs: none
Review: This outing provides plenty of ominous sonic explorations with the band blending rock, jazz, and avant-garde textures into a thrilling display of musical malevolence, with swells of building tension breaking off into spacey interludes, gentle passages of tranquil beauty, as well as sheer bombastic menace> ECM stalwart guitarist David Torn sits in for added pyrotechnics.
If You Like: Robert Fripp, Fred Frith, Porcupine Tree, Terry Rypdal
Track Review (favorites denoted by *) –
*1/ Twofold Covering (12:37) – bass starts> heavy & slow space jam builds to midtempo> builds in volume, intensity & complexity> slows briefly, then breaks out in a staggering uptempo rocking sonic jam> slows to midtempo jam with shifting melodies> quick stop
**2/ Waves & Particles (7:43) – guitar starts slowly with pulsing beat> builds into a midtempo complex space jam> slow build to uptempo jam> sonic guitar solo> slow sonic jam> slow fade
3/ Red Shift (10:03) – chorded guitar starts> midtempo jam builds to a crescendo, then mellows> midtempo sonic jam> slowly builds into wild frenetic jam and slows again> midtempo jam> builds back up to heavy sonic jam> builds to a crescendo & fades
4/ Tromso (10:23) – guitar starts, slow & quiet> slow build up to heavy midtempo jam, then mellows again> then swings back to heavy uptempo jam> pause> rebuilds to heavy midtempo jam> morphs into heavy uptempo rocking jam> quick stop
*5/ For Lost Sailors (10:18) – (solo guitar with loops) fuzzy guitar starts slow> slow atonal solo builds in volume & intensity> morphs into a space jam with sitar-like sounds over the top> high-pitched screaming guitar solo morphs into heavy midtempo jam> slows to slow space jam> slow fade
**6/ Lookface (5:22) – full band starts> rocking uptempo jam> slows to midtempo space jam> swings back to rocking uptempo jam> quick stop