Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Necks: Open

The Necks (trio)
Open (ReR; 2013)
Chris Abrahams (piano)
Lloyd Swanton (bass)
Tony Buck (drums)

With Open, their seventeenth album, Australian trio, The Necks turn more understated than usual. A calm ambience that is more reminiscent of recent Harold Budd material drifts effortless throughout this hour long piece.

Opening with subtleties of gentle drum beats and slow rhythmic patterns in the basslines, the trio takes you on slow journey through its first quarter of an hour. Setting an ethereal soundscape that is both soothing and adventurous, the piece begins to expand in its middle movements with the additions of chimes and more detailed and rolling layers of piano lines from Abrahams. These notes and effects quickly rotate into a very hypnotic passage.

And the final passage becomes more focused with a slight groove adjacent to the improvised patterns. These notes finally collide with the an almost Eastern melodic pattern to close out the session in a beautiful psychedelic manor.

For those unfamiliar with The Necks, you can always jump in at any point. With any record you find. Anywhere. But without a doubt, Open is an excellent starting point to find out what all your friends have been raving about for over a decade. This will be one of the best records you will ever own. I hope... Highly, Highly Recommended!

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