Twenty years and ten albums so far and now "the time has come to take a trip". The tracks on this album (called 'stations') both come from and arrive at the intersection of improv and composition.
It could be conceptual music or avant-garde and perhaps because of this it exists independently in its own time and space. To many this would not be considered music but likewise there are many who listen only to this type of music. It is easily dismissed (on one listen), often challenging and depending on the mindset of the listener, richly rewarding.
Essentially a three piece consisting of bass (double), harmonium and guitar they lead us into the space and noise which occurs after the note has been played and possibly into the world of European free jazz. Ten minute opus "Lucid, Imperial Beach" sets the tone for much if not all that follows. From microtonal ambience to blatant melody, it's all here.
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These are then honed in on across the remaining tracks. The more melodic stuff ("Thoughtless, Hamburg" and "Wasted, Ivano-Franklvsk") reminds me a little of Labradford and tracks like "Resplendent, Bolinas" and "Vigilant, Jerichow" are almost plunderphonics. I played this to someone, they thought it was shit. European free jazz is shit. I like European free jazz.
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