FunkFreak75 Markus Pajakkala is back (finally!) with an album of music inspired by his explorations of African music and rhythms. He has even employed a bunch of Temperi, Senegalese, and Mauritanian musicians as collaborators to go along with his usual rhythm section of Anssi Solismaa, Jaakko Luoma, and newcomer Ville Hatanpää on drums!

1. "Greenwash" (4:48) with the odd combinations of sounds--squishy, spacey synths, weird organ, African percussion, et al. --I'm not even sure what I'm listening to! In the end it's really a fairly typical West African jazz-rock cake that happens to have frostings from the crazy imaginings of a crazy Finn covering the top and filling the layers in-between. It's fun and entertaining, at times reminding me of the spirit in DON PULLEN's "Kele mou bana." (8.875/10)

2. "All Whale Panel" (4:06) a song that is trying to project the feeling of a being a live song from an outdoor all-night rave or dance party from some celebrated Tiesto-like DJ. Definitely a top three song. (9.125/10)

3. "Yegaa Intro" (1:35) 4. "Yegaa Nu Betaa" (4:33) expressing an easy joy that is not only infectious but danceable. A top three song for me based solely on the spirit invoked by Ismaila Sané's vocal calls. (8.875/10)

5. "Cleptocrats" (4:24) nice, infectious grooving instrumental music that feels like the musical soundtrack to a travel montage. More of the horn section interplay with Markus' weird organ. Could've been a top three. (8.875/10)

6. "Jaa Di Burung" (5:35) slowed down grooviness with enough space to really hear and focus on individual instruments--all of them! Really well constructed and rendered. Markus' baritone sax play really shines here. My other top three song. (9.125/10)

7. "Hit It With The Pinky." (4:05) starts out sounding like a Mario Brothers video game soundtrack stuck in some kind of pause mode, but then the "big" band jumps on board (8.75/10)

8. "No Culture, No Soul" (8:26) a near-Jamaican groove stuck on repeat while Ozrics-like "space jungle" noises flit in and out of the sonic field. Coordinated horns step in from time to time to take over the lead but then disappear for longer spans of time allowing the baseline groove to continue to pacify and hypnotize us into a ganja-like stupor. Impressive musicianship and sound engineering throughout. (17.5/20)

9. "Kakistocrats" (5:08) aside from the farfisa organ, this one taking us back into a more traditional (or just old) sounding Afro-jazz-rock fusion. Nice trumpet soloing in the second and third minute from Olli Helin which is then followed by Inari Ruonamaa's delicate alto sax and Ismaila Sané's percussion work in the fourth. Is Makus trying to reproduce Ray Manzarek's organ sound from the earliest days of The Doors? (8.75/10)

10. "Le Nuit Des Morts-Vivants" (9:50) a percussion-based tune that sounds like something familiar despite also traipsing into the territory of old-fashioned spy-detective movie soundtracks. It's laid back, and the foundational groove is definitely (surprisingly) simple, allowing for the solos to shine a little brighter--of which guitarist Matti Solo gets a nice one to fill the fourth minute before Olli's effected trumpet takes a turn. IN the end, the song is really a vehicle in which to display Markus' inventive engineering of a song around Ismaila Sané's surprisingly sneakily- polyrhythmic percussion play. With almost every band member getting a turn in the spotlight this is really a more traditional jazz song. And the solos are pretty good! (17.5/10)

Total Time: 52:34

The music, though definitely fun and entertaining, seems often more simplistic and slowed down (for the benefit of the musicians?) than I was expecting. (Markus Pajakkala music is usually anything but slow and simple!) This allows for a surprisingly easy listen. Also, it seems at times that Markus is creating this music more for the display of the talents of his bevy of international musicians. I'd love to hear these guys really break out: play at top notch, breakneck speeds (as I suppose they're capable). Maybe that will come with a future album release. B/four stars; an excellent collection of African-infused jazz-rock.

FunkFreak75 I have resisted listening to any Hiromi studio album releases since she abandoned her Sonicbloom format (for the trios). Isn't that crazy?! What the heck was I thinking?!!! This is Hiromi's second studio release with her new quartet. All of the same collaborators return from the 2023 eponymously-titled album. 1. "XYZ" (6:56) this opener certainly does a great job announcing the serious skills and chemistry of Hiromi's new band. This very complex and least-melody-friendly song on the album still manages to impress because of the display of talent necessary to play these sophisticated and fast-shifting chord, rhythm, and melody changes. Impressive--though not my favorite. (13.625/15)

2. "Yes! Ramen!!" (8:14) so much fun, quirk, stylistic soup (kind of like the ramen itself!): more from Hiromi's incredibly free-flowing playfulness. (14.5/15)

3. "Pendulum" (5:57) the spirit of my late beloved Ryuichi Sakamoto seems to be flowing through Hiromi's fingers and piano on this but more, the stunningly exquisite vocal performance of Michelle Willis is somehow perfectly matched to Hiromi's beautiful music. Even the poetic lyrics are a welcome, fitting, and, again, perfect enhancement--precisely because of the musical quality of the poetry. Hadrien, Gene, and, later, Adam's contributions in the second half are equally respectful of Hiromi's Sakamoto-like gift to the cosmos. (10/10)

4. "Out There: Takin' Off" (6:33) too much fun, too much joy gushing from these performers to not love this song! (9.125/10)

5. "Out There: Strollin'" (6:43) a little more grounded in a blend of both traditional, "classic" melodic jazz as well as the Pat Metheny approach to music-making, this song has again so many nostalgic references: from all three of Hiromi's collaborators as well as the bandleader herself. This feels to me like a walk through New York City circa 1965. I love it. Adam O'Farrill's trumpet play is so fun and playful! How could someone not just fall in love with this music. Makes me want to go watch old Woody Allen movies. (9.25/10) 6. "Out There: Orion" (8:10) on this song it feels as if we are stepping down another floor into more traditional jazz sounds and styles--especially in the melody-making department: I feel as if the main melodies and variations on the main melodies are more akin to that which supported Frank Sinatra and Nancy Wilson in the 1950s. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE it, but it's just a feeling I get. Especially when each of the four "Out There" suite members is compared to each other. (13.75/15) 7. "Out There: The Quest" (8:11) the spirit of Weather Report/Manahattan Transfer "Birdland" comes through quite strongly here, that is, the 1980s. Man! I sure love the sounds and playing styles of both trumpeter Adam O'Farrill and bassist Hadrien Feraud! The way Gene's drums are presented in the mix (separation and sound spectrum) bug me a little. Not as big of a fan of this song as the others. (I've never been much of a Weather Report or "Birdland" fan.) (8.875/10)

8. "Pendulum" (6:19) the instrumental, all-piano version of song #3. It's just as beautiful without the great vocal performance and lyrics of the other version: mostly because Hiromi's music is so damned perfect. I love the different liberties Hiromi takes with the main melody in the fourth and fifth minutes--just before she begins gently working some low end bass notes into the background (from 3:44 to the song's end). (9.75/10)

9. "Balloon Pop" (6:18) a lot of fun syncopated staccato interplay between Hiromi (more her left hand), Gene and Hadrien. Adam gets a few passages to inject his own ten cents--and they're lovely (if mixed a little too far back into the sonicsphere)--but it's Hadrien's Anthony Jackson-like solo in fourth minute that really blows me away! I'm an absolute sucker for this kind of disciplined staccato syncopation--especially when it's performed at such a high precision level as this is. Fun whistle-like synth solo around the five minute mark with nice background trumpet accents, then it's off to the land of duelling anjos for the final minute: everybody trading barbs and challenges around the circle, one after the other until the finish. (9.125/10)

Total Time 63:21

I am so surprised (and overwhelmed) to find my inner being exuding such joy and elation as I listen to and review this album. I feel so very privileged to be able to know and have this kind of joyful music in my life. If I have any complaints/criticisms of this album, they are very minor--and they have nothing to do with the compositions or performances. I find myself ever so slightly put off by the way Gene Coye's drums are recorded. At times all of the four instruments feel rather subtly separated, that is, the tracks devoted to Gene, Hadrien, Adam and even (sometimes) Hiromi feel as if they have plexiglass walls between them: as if they were recorded in separate rooms, separate cities, at separate times and then the engineers tried to make them feel together. I've been quite resistant to listening to much of Hiromi's discography since she fell into my life with her first Sonicbloom album back in 2007: I just was afraid that nothing else could ever be better much less compare to that. A few live performance videos with Anthony Jackson have recently softened my stubborn stance, and then, today, this album popped into my awareness! Am SO GLAD it did! Also, I've been so focused on "Classic Era" Jazz-Rock Fusion and 1960s Jazz that I'd completely ignored (like a righteous little snob) any modern Jazz-Rock Fusion. Okay: I now see the error of my ways. I'm going to open myself back up to 21st Century Jazz-Rock Fusion. Hiromi, Antoine Fafard, Kamasi Washington, Meshell Ngegeocello: watch out: I'm comin' for y'all!

P.S. I ADORE the album art of this album! Now that's what I'm talkin' about! A/five stars; a certifiable masterpiece of joy-filled upbeat Jazz-Rock Fusion. All hail the Queen! Highly, highly recommended. For anyone who professes to love music.

js “Nitty Gritty” is guitarist Russ Spiegel’s seventh album, and although most of his earlier albums contain mostly originals, for this album Russ wrote only four compositions with everything else being covers done in ways that are different than the usual versions of the songs he selected. It is an eclectic album and in Russ’s own words, “ I chose tunes that feature my guitar playing in different genres and styles of jazz - from swinging, earthy blues to folk and Latin rhythms to groovy and outright rocky tunes”. Russ mentions some favorite influences on the guitar, including Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Ed Bickert and Bola Sete. Accompanying Russ on this adventure is his usual trio with Jim Gasior on organ and piano, and Lucas Apostoleris. Guests, Tim Armacost on tenor sax and Kurt Hengstebek on bass, play on about half the tracks.

So lets take a look at the variety that Russ has bestowed on us here. “Soul Station” is classic Hammond B3 driven soul jazz originally composed by Hank Mobley. On Ellington’s “Prelude to a Kiss”, Russ eschews the tune’s usual ballad treatment and instead gives it an upbeat samba drive. Hearing ‘Prelude’ in upbeat mode gives the well known song a different flavor altogether. Whereas the Beatles, “Norwegian Wood”, is usually given an up tempo 6/8 modal vamp, Spiegel instead keeps it in a relaxed folk style workout for the acoustic guitar. Original, “Nitty Gritty”, uses distorted guitar in a heavy funk jazz style similar to Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood.

For the second half of the CD Spiegel settles into more of a fusion style which supplies a little more cohesion after the ‘all over the place’ nature of the first half. “Deep Brooklyn” is one of the best tracks on the album with it’s melancholy melody and Gasior’s post bop ride on the acoustic piano. “Epic” is another ‘big’ sounding fusion number with a rocky 5/4 groove and plenty of heavy guitar soloing from Spiegel. “26-2”, another jazz rock number, gives plenty of room for Armacost’s tenor sax solo. There are more tracks but let’s avoid an exhausting grocery list here, but the real surprise is lounge classic, “A Man and a Woman”, which Russ plays without a trace of irony or kitsch.

snobb Pianist/keyboardist Bugge Wesseltoft, who was born half a century ago in a small town on the Norwegian southern shore, is one of the key people responsible for one of the significant modern trends in jazz, combining aerial Nordic folk-influenced grooveless piano jazz with contemporary electronics (often post-rock influenced), ie: so-called nu jazz or "future jazz".

On his newest album, "Am Are", Bugge continues developing his usual sound, offering a great collection of different formats (predominantly trios) in collaborations with some Nordic stars, as well as lesser-known musicians.

The album's opener, "How?",(the review is based on the digital album's version, the vinyl edition contains a different tracklist) is a rare Bugge piano/synth solo song, sounding very much like Chopin-like melancholic ballade, just adapted for the New Millenium. "ReiN" is a duet of Bugge, switching from Yamaha Synth to piano and back, and drummer Elias Tafjord. The piece is energetic and recalls synth-based space-themed jazz fusion compositions from the late 70s. "Is Anyone Listening?" is a different song - a piano/sax trio with r'n'b-influenced Norwegian singer Rohey Taalah. It's a bluesy ballad with a jazzy feel.

"BAG" is played by a more conventional trio with legendary acoustic bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Gard Nilssen on board. The song sounds very much like a traditional jazz fusion piece from 70-80s. The same trio is responsible for the next track, "Reel", which is a bit lazy and moody atmospheric ballad with a lot of deep acoustic bass soloing.

"Render" and "Vender" come from a different trio, with Bugge dominating heavily on electric keyboards (Fender Rhodes and Korg) and another Nordic jazz legend, drummer Jon Christensen, (plus electric bassist Sveinung Hovensjø) on support. Early Weather Report fans will be really happy with the sound of this one.

"JazzBasill" and the title track both come from the fourth different trio - Bugge plays piano with acoustic/electric bassist Jens Mikkel Madsen and drummer Øyunn. These two songs sound closest to the conventional modern jazz piano trio. The closer, "ThinkaHeaD", is the most unusual composition with feelable Indian rhythms from tabla player Sanskriti Shrestha. Other trio members on this track are Bugge (who plays organ besides piano here) and guitarist Oddrun Lilja. Still very much an atmospheric and ambient piece.

"Am Are" is another of Bugge's masterpieces, not deeply searching for new ground but trying to absorb all the best that has been done by him during the last decades, and present it in fresh and attractive form.

js Static music, and/or music as a continuum, may be a somewhat experimental idea in the western world, but in other cultures, particularly African culture, music performance that stays more or less the same from beginning to the middle and on to the end, is par for the course. Avant-garde composers such as John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Steve Reich have produced music that has no particular linear development, and in the jazz world, Miles Davis tried out a fusion approach to static music with albums like “On the Corner” and “Get Up With It”. This leads us to a new Swiss trio known as, divr, with band members, Phillipp Eden on piano, Raphael Walser on bass and Jonas Ruther on drums. These guys are taking a very fresh approach to music making that sets them apart from the field. Their improvisations are not ‘static music’ per se, but are similar in that linear development takes a backseat to thoroughly exploring the present moment.

What divr does is produce musical ideas and then loop them and slowly alter them while carefully interacting with each other. They describe their music as based around ‘sonic interdependencies framed by the practice of mindfulness and deep listening’. Although there is some obvious repetition at work, the music slowly morphs and changes in unpredictable ways. There is some post-production at work on this album, so it may be hard to tell what is exactly being played and what might be looped, but it really doesn’t matter, even if there is some technology involved, everything sounds organically human.

The music itself has a lot of variety to it, "As of Now", sounds like a mid 90s trip-hop track, while "Upeksha" uses interlocking minimalist piano figures that recall Terry Riley. "Supreme Sweetness" gets into some dissonant and very active free jazz and "Tea High" has pounding piano chords on top of a drumnbass type busy rhythm. The last two tracks don’t quite measure up to the rest of the album as they close with a ballad of sorts and some cliché ambient bits, but the rest of the album is top notch. divr do not sound like anyone else, they represent a different approach to music making, an approach that will be lost on many listeners, but will be welcome to those who prefer deep listening and music that expands on the moment rather than anxiously always moving on.

FunkFreak75 Precisely performed jazzy Math Rock from some youth from Chicago. Gutsy, intelligent, complex and intricate yet delivered tight and with great melodic sense.

1. "Lifeguard of a Helpless Body" (4:15) with the same fast pace and upbeat nature of a TOE (Japan) jam, this sets the tone for the album with some fast-picking (and tapping) guitar work. Such a refreshing sound! (10/10)

2. "I Heard them on the Harbor" (5:56) takes its time in establishing patterns as it opens with several instruments taking turns appearing and disappearing. It is only into the third minute that a rhythm and structure is established and played over--but then is challenged and discarded in lieu of some spacey and then jazzy keyboard. The spacey, spacious soundscape reappears for a while until at 4:18 an entirely new and soft-beat rhythmicity is established and built around. And exquisitely so, I might add! Cool and unusual song. (9/10)

3. "Curry Courier Career" (8:11) opens sounding like an intricate, upbeat WES MONTGOMERY song. It then diverts into I kind of étude in sharp time changes and collective band discipline. Things shift and progress in this song so quickly and suddenly--totally unpredictably. There is, however, a pattern to the song structure here (as opposed to song #2). A song that displays some seriously talented and skilled musicians and some seriously well-rehearsed execution of some seriously well-thought out song composition. Definitely the most jazzy song on the album. (13.5/15)

4. "Exformation" (5:21) opens with some intricate and frenetic guitar tapping leading the band into a stop-and-go kind of rush hour traffic pace. The guitarists melody lines here are seriously (and continuously) fast! Even in the mid-song lull the keyboard and guitar lines are intricate and speedy. STANLEY JORDAN would be impressed! (9/10)

5. "Gilgamesh (R-Texas)" (6:18) lots of interplay between instruments off doing their own thing: staccato rhtymic hits from drums and rhythm instruments, polyrhythmic arpeggi from piano, guitars and synths. It is an amazing display of artistry, vision, discipline and restraint. There's even quite a liteel MUFFINS-like Canterbury play in the chord and melody structures of the third and fourth minutes (and the horns in the fifth minute). Everything drops off at the end of the fifth minute save for an electric piano chord sequence--over which the delicate play of other instruments is added to the end. Another outstanding gem of a song! (10/10)

6. "Country Doctor" (5:25) opens with a simple little piano arpeggio repeated over before countrified big band joins in. The pace is atypically slow for this band until the one minute mark when a wall of KAYO DOT-like electrified sound enters and swallows us. The music vacillates back and forth for a while between the MAUDLIN OF THE WELL like beauty of intricately woven soft-picked instruments and the occasional wake-up call of a blast of heavy metal dynamo then settles into a long section of soft but intricately woven multiple instruments. The final 35 seconds allows instruments final flourishes over a fast piano arpeggio. Beautiful song! My favorite on the album. (10/10)

Every once in a while an album comes out of nowhere to shock and surprise me--and this is one of those. I only wish I had heard it in the year it was released so that I could have had more say in helping to bring attention to it. This is an AMAZING album that is truly worth the while of any prog lover's time and attention. Check it out!

A veritable five star album; a true masterpiece of progressive rock music! But what is it? Post Rock/Math Rock like TOE or ALGERNON? Eclectic Jazz Rock à la FROGG CAFE or UNAKA PRONG? Canterbury jazz like MANNA/MIRAGE/THE MUFFINS? It's a mystery! They're chameleon's! I can't wait to watch their future unfold for the skies are not too high for these talented musicians!

FunkFreak75 The boys from Chicago are back! As you may recall, their 2015 self-titled debut crashed onto the Post Rock scene with quite a splash! In fact, I rated it as a five-star masterpiece and included it among my list of favorite Post Rock albums of all-time. As good as that album was, this is better. The startlingly quick tempo variations and melodic maturity displayed here shows that these guys have been working hard over the past three years.

1. "Ilha Verde" (10:44) opens with slow, delicate playing from heavily distorted and lightly-flanged electric instruments while drums play clear and pure somewhat sub rosa. Things ramp up into a tight jazz weave in the third minute and then get crazy-cruisin' by the fourth--a little avant with tight stop-and-starts and a very tightly woven weave. By the middle of the fourth minute things are bass-slappin' Primal, if you know what I mean! Then, just as suddenly, at the four minute mark things break down and we glide into a section of gorgeous Lyle-Mays-like melodic jazz. Guitar and piano here are so tight! This is such a diverse odyssey--like a jazz master class! Intricate staccato work returns, followed by the heavier King Crimson-like stuff to the mid-eight minute. Another break as we enter a new dreamy patch. Wow! What a ride! It is truly like experiencing all of the emotional and spatial shifts of Homer's Odyssey--in just under eleven minutes! Great multiple-layered pacing in the final section as drums go frenetic beneath gentler keys and floating guitars on top. (9.5/10)

2. "Raytracing" (4:47) complex, fast-paced weave with, at times, a bassa nova kind of beat structure and some really funky guitar and vibe sounds woven into some gorgeous passages. Incredibly impressive cohesion and synchrony from all band members. Incredibly impressive song! (10/10)

3. "Former Islands" (5:26) the song most like their debut album. It opens fast-paced, intricately woven as Post Rock with a TOE. (Japanese Post Rock band) feel to it. Solid, impressive song with solid, impressive instrumental performances over the course of two movements in an A-B-A-B structure. The melodies in the B section are gorgeous. (10/10)

4. "Echophrasia" (9:59) a gentle, spacey opening section with floating synths and keys over which percussives and guitar noodle their rapidly traveling passages. When things pick up and become jazzier in the third minute, the feel becomes all intricately constructed, well-rehearsed timed rapidly arpeggiated chord progressions--jazz! A spacey interlude in the fifth minute lets everyone catch their breath before guitar arpeggi, cymbol play support trombone and slide guitar work. The intricate weave of guitar, keys, and bass and drums rises and intensifies before a guitar scream introduces a heavy" technical-metal section. This is so impressive the way the whole-band's timing has to be so perfect in order to pull off the realization of these crazy-complex compositions! (9/10)

5. "The Shortest Way" (1:03) a cross between John Martyn's echoplex guitar and Mark Isham's synth work to give the listener a little respite from this stunning album. Thank you! (4.5/5)

6. "Opalescent Edges" (8:08) speaking of Mark Isham, this one opens like a Minimalist Isham-Bill Bruford EARTHWORKS piece. Chunky bass and psuedo-power chords give the third section a little STEELY DAN feel to it. (What?!) But then Conor Mackay just has to show off his amazing speed for a few before we fall into another classic jazz gentle bridge leading to a Stick and vibes weave with keys and bass and drums rockin' out to drown out the band! This sixth minute would have been the perfect finale, but no, the band has to keep going in order to let some individual steam off--here the guitar and synth get some solo time before they weave back into whole before decaying into the sedating final minute of space sounds. Wow! What did I just experience? How does one define this music? "Prog Perfection!" (10/10)

Throw away the Post Rock/Math Rock label, boys, this is Jazz-Rock Fusion at it's most intricately KonstruKted King Crimsonianness.

Five stars; a certifiable masterpiece of modern progressive rock music--and album that would make Señors Fripp, Bruford, Levin, Belew, Gunn, Mastelotto, Harrison, Jakszyk, and Rieflin proud. My new leader for Album of The Year honors.

FunkFreak75 The SONAR leader and King Crimson-style Math Rock champion is back with yet another solo effort with an all-star array of guest musicians.

1. "Briefing For A Descent Into Hell" (18:35) could have come from Stephan's other project, SONAR, and their 2018 album Vortex, especially as there are three of the five members of that album on this song. Interesting, cool, just not memorable for anything new or distinctive--though there are many moments in which I feel as if I'm more immersed into a piece by CAN or KLAUS SCHULZE. One bull-headed pace and foundation over 18 minutes with lots of interesting displays of creativity over the top as solos. Somehow it works as I find this to be the song I return to most of all when I want to re-test this album. (36/40)

2. "Road Movie" (13:23) another SONAR-like foundation from the rhythm section as Henry Kaiser takes a turn competing with Stephan. Flags a little in the second half. (25.5/30)

3. "Fractal Guitar" (9:20) opening with infinitely echoed and morphed solo electric guitar, the sound journey is fascinating in itself. Yet another SONAR-like foundation is added by the rhythm section at the end of the first minute--in an unusual time signature. The "guitar atmospheres" of Barry Cleveland are quite interesting--perhaps they are the sound "morphing" to which I referred in the opening sentence. Drums and percussion begin to add their own distinct personalities in the fourth minute. (17.5/20)

4. "Radiant Day" (8:42) a more KING CRIMSONian weave of electric stringed instruments opens this song. Markus Reuter, Matt Tate, and Barry Cleveland all weaving their touch guitars with Stephan's is quite interesting. The absence of atmospheric "glue" of washes and slow decay notes and chords is also interesting. It's like a stage full of guitarists each waiting patiently for their turn to solo. (16.75/20)

5. "Urban Nightscape" (17:34) opens with two lines of chromatic arpeggi backed by David Torn loops and washes. Bass line and drums eventually join in but it takes a few minutes until a solid flow and structure are settled upon. Benno Kaiser's drumming is much more noticeable than the hypnotic support style of Manuel Pasquinelli because he is imposing a mentality of a lead instrument. (He's good but not great.) It's David Torn who really shines in the thick and heavy section between the sixth and ninth minutes (though Benno does try). The music gradually moves to a stripped down, atmospheric section where, in the fifteenth and sixteenth minutes you feel as if night skies and bug noises are the sounds trying to be reproduced (or imagined). My least favorite song on the album. (29/35)

Total time 67:34

It is very difficult to fault Stephan Thelen with this type of music because it is so unique and unusual in the music world, but after an album or two, listened to consecutively, one begins to grow fatigued of the repetition of similitude.

B/four stars; a solid contribution of polished, mood-oriented Math Rock and excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.

FunkFreak75 Switzerland's precision masters are back with yet another impeccably formed and produced album of Math Rock--still in union with American guitar legend David Torn as they have been for the past two albums. Leader and principle composer Stephan Thelen is in the process of stepping away (to pursue a solo career), here showing his expanding skillset with a turn on the tuned percussion instruments on song three, "Slowburn," yet the band sounds as good as ever. Maybe better!

1. "Triskaidekaphilia" (9:43) a fairly thin and surprisingly simple weave over which David Torn shreds and shrieks while the other guitarists pick and pluck their way in their own delicately staccato fashions. It goes by so fast that I find myself a bit underwhelmed by the little and infrequent high points. (16.75/20)

2. "Tranceportation" (12:39) deep bass notes fill the bottom end from the start while syncopated snare and hi-hat hits and pin-dropping guitar notes slowly join in and populate the starry aural field. Interesting how for the first three minutes the bass of Christian Kuntner and drums of Manuel Pasquinelli really get top billing; it's only in the fourth minute that David Torn's note-bending Southern-fried guitar takes the lead. Meanwhile, Christian's bass moves more and more and the other guitars' pin-droppings become more prominent. Unfortunately, I really am not a fan of the style and sound David is projecting with this performance, yet the bass and drums really make this one different and interesting. I love the ninth and tenth minutes when the pin-pricking guitars get more lead time: it's like the sound of stars twinkling in the sky. Finally, in the tenth minute, David's guitar sound and soloing style become interesting and enjoyable to me. And then, for the final two minutes, everybody individually begins to experiment with slow decay into chaotic "death." Quite interesting! (22/25)

3. "Slowburn" (10:01) A nice, full polyrhythmic fabric is established over the first three minutes before David begins his display of pyrotechnics--a quite wonderful one, in fact. Then the music softens for a bit during a return to the opening weave, but all stops are unleashed at the five-minute mark with another foray into the thicker, "B" motif. Great guitar "conversation" in the seventh minute. Drums begin to make themselves known around the eight-minute mark, seemingly goading the others into more aggressive and dynamic expressions--and boy does it work. My favorite section on the album! David Torn really unleashes. But then there is a sudden shutdown at the nine-minute mark and a long, slow decay into silence. Too bad! I wish that aggressive section would have/could have continued. Definitely the most interesting and dynamic composition on the album. (18.25/20)

4. "Cloud Chamber" (9:37) steady bass, rim hits, and sparse polyrhythmic guitar picks open this one before spacey electronics and more guitar lines enter and begin to further shape and re-shape this one. The regular stop and re-start every six, seven, or eight measures (it seems to vary) is a bit too formulaic for me--or rather, a bit too reminiscent of rudimentary bluesy rock'n'roll for my tastes. The intersting stuff in the sonic field is really only subtle and nuanced until about the sixth minute when David's soaring wails and screeches become more prominent and insistent. Again we are treated to a long, slow, spacey decay into silence. (17.5/20)

Total Time 42:00

David is "on" again with some truly remarkable solo displays of shredding, I just wish his lead contributions filled a greater percentage of the songs' lengths. To my ears, bassist Christian Kuntner comes out as the surprise star of this show.

B+/4.5 stars; a wonderful addition to any prog lover's music collection.

FunkFreak75 The union of Switzerland's Math Rock masters, Sonar, with David Torn was so successful, so meaningful to all involved, that they did it again--one year after releasing the stunning, ground-breaking, Vortex.

1. "Labyrinth" (14:26) the tension presented in this song is sublime! The low bass-dominated primary weave is incredibly engaging (engulfing!) In the fifth, eighth, eleventh, and thirteeth-into-fourteenth minutes David Torn reaches new heights with his guitar's creative, primal, animalistic screams. And the other guitarists take a more aggressive, attention-grabbing approach than is typical of their performances (they usually stay in the underground, hidden within the foundational weaves that David solos over). Even the drumming somehow reaches out to grab you and suck you in. Probably my favorite Sonar song ever. (28.5/30)

2. "Partitions" (5:37) opening with a wonderful spacey aural field--one that stays in the song's bottom end throughout. The star-spangling guitar interplay is absolutely wonderful--both with individual notes and, later, beneath David Torn's swooning guitar play, with staccato chord strums and then ascending chord arpeggi. (10/10)

3. "Red Sky" (11:14) percussion noises from the drum coupled with spacey guitar loops are soon joined with the lead blues-bending notes of David Torn's southern-infused guitar. Very cool. At 1:53 another guitar approach is introduced. Christian Kuntner's thick, heavy, low-end dominating bass does not enter until 2:19, over which David's bayou-bluesy guitar returns--all over some intricately-played quick note staccato guitar interplay. The rolling bass line only contributes further to the bayou-bluesy feel of this one. I'm not usually into bluesy rock soundscapes but this one is intriguing, at times mesmerizing. An interesting rhythmic shift occurs at the end of the sixth minute--one that ushers in a change in the expression of all the band members--as if all are suddenly pointed in a march toward a fixed point on the horizon. The progress they make--both as individuals and a collective unit--is quite exciting--especially in the drums' and David Torn's contributions. I like the second half much more than the first. (17.5/20)

4. "Tunnel Drive" (7:42) the band very quickly establish a very unusual, syncopated rhythm over which to create their weave. David Torn's indvidualistic contributions really don't begin to emerge to the forefront until the second half, making this much more of an "old" Sonar Math Rock song than the others. (13/15)

Total Time 38:59

A-/five stars; a masterpiece of spacey Math Rock and an essential addition to any prog lover's music collection.