Open Web Player
(12/15/08 edit: my original review is below but I want to say this really grew on me. It's a unique and beautiful addition to any Nels collection. I've regretted parts of my original review for a long time now.)
(1/24/09 edit: I've come to believe that this and Nels' & Elliot Sharp's Duo Milano album would go perfectly with this one. Both it and Bunker Hill are albums not to be missed! For some reason this page won't let me insert a product link even though this site does carry Duo Milano)
This is Nels Cline on electric guitar and Devin Sarno on bass, though you'll rarely feel like you heard a bass anywhere. He seems to usually be soundscapely effected most of the time so that he can let subtle walls of sound float out, rather than, say, a Phil Leshian-style of thunderous carpet-bombing.
I never did pick up the other disc by these two, so I cannot compare/contrast. I can say that this disc took me quite a while to get into. I bought it in early 2004 and did not come to really appreciate it until this past month. Word of Advice: Don't listen to this disc in headphones. All the previous times I listened to it were in headphones, until about a month ago. For whatever reasons, this disc is much better when reverberating out into the open air.
The reason I give this disc 3 stars is because Nels has been a part of many fantastic releases. If you (like me) are of the mindset that Interstellar Space Revisited, Destroy All Nels Cline, Live At Easthampton Town Hall, The Inkling, Red Headed Stranger, Scarnella, etc... are Nels' 5 and 4 star discs (however you personally rank them), then for me, this one just has to be a 3 because while not a bad release, it is by no means deserving to stand proudly next to those I listed above.
Tracks 1 and 3 are the standouts here. Track one is a subtle drone that ends up painting a picture of standing outside during sunrise about a mile away from an interstate. You know that societal hum that you hear from the constancy of cars and tires... the way a certain soft, screaming echo-hum just sorta dissolves out into the air within a couple miles of an interstate? Well, add that in with some sort of sadness as the sun rises after a bad night. Then add some semi-subdued, space-fuzz Nels wrapped around it and there you go.
Two might make a nice piece of music to have blurping out of your house on Halloween... it's short but it will put a little creepyness into the kids' night.
Track 3 is where the title for this review came from. It's not always as violent sounding as that though, as it builds out of another textural drone.
The Morals of the Story: Remember, blasting out of the stereo, no headphones. If you're just discovering Nels, this should not be your first disc. You need something that will really scorch your consciousness with solar-flare intensity, and this is not that. But if you're a longtime Nels fan then I know you are curious and I know you want to hear this for yourself so you're just going to buy it anyway. =)
Oh one more thing, after finally having listened to this without headphones and truly hearing it lately, I would recommened it above The Giant Pin, so far. Sadly, the Pin release has not lived up to my hopes and expectations... or at least not yet. We shall see.
