This album is the result of a chance meeting between prolific bassist and collaborator Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree/Metallic Taste of Blood/Twinscapes/O.R.k.) and Estonian experimental guitarist and composer Robert Jürjendal (UMA, Slow Electric, Jan Bang etc.). To add even more textures to the music they brought in trumpeter Ian Dixon, (whose credits include Ape, Ute, Can’s Irmin Schmidt, and legendary Ethiopian artist Mulatu Astatke) and Norwegian electronica and sample manipulator Isak Nygaard. So, four musicians from four different countries all combining together to create something which is definitely out of left field. Edwin seems to be in charge, as they veer most closely to early Porcupine Tree and Japan, but the art prog rock they are creating is also akin to jazz in that there is the impression that they are all in the studio together, bouncing ideas and creating something that is quite different.
This is music to get lost inside, with layers and textures that are gentle, reflective, but never boring. Jürjendal has a delicate touch on his guitar, and seemingly wants to create far more than just notes from it, twisting and bending the music so that never sounds as if it has been plucked or struck, but has just appeared out of the ether. Add into that the way that Dixon approaches his own instrument, and this is something that is truly progressive. This album definitely requires careful attention or it could just fall into the background, and that is just not right for what is an interesting and intriguing instrumental album. It won’t be for those who require note density, energy and enthusiasm, but for the more reflective of us, this is a fine listen indeed.
