– General Description: Guitarist Nels Cline debuts a new band with this release. This is quirky jazz at its best. Excellent musicians and when they skew sideways they do it with style. (Cline has been the lead guitarist of Wilco since 2004.)
– Musicians:
Nels Cline (guitar)
Julian Lage (guitar)
Scott Colley (bass)
Tom Rainey (drums)
– Track Reviews:
1. ***(4:54) Furtive - GREAT animated piece, loud dissonant chord, then percussion intro and just keeps moving; inspiration was Ellington’s “Tourist Point of View”
2. (5:02) Swing Ghost '59 - medium-fast stamping the ground feeling with retro swing-era guitar peaking in
3. (4:25) Imperfect 10 - very aware of the theme, pretty straight-forward modern jazz piece
4. ***(6:23) As Close As That - dreamy, very relaxing, very sweet
5. ***(5:32) Amenette - spirited with abrupt switches to contemplation, interesting jamming
6. (5:34) Temporarily - spacey exploration that eventually congeals
7. (9:33) River Mouth (Parts 1 & 2) - another dreamy contemplative piece that walks on to become faster and more involving
8. ***(2:56) For Each, A Flower - pretty, calm and melancholy

Reviewed: 2018-05-05
Genre: Jazz
FCCs: none
Review: Guitarist/composer Cline's new quartet builds upon his collaboration with guitarist Julian Lage. As on the duet album, both guitars play it straight. There is no acoustic guitar here, nor any of Cline's trademark electronic excursions. But the presence of a rhythm section lends an energy and a more extroverted sound.
If You Like:
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
*1/ Furtive (4:53) - opens with a dissonant chord & solo drums. A desperate bass-line begins what sounds like a cinematic chase scene
*2/ Swing Ghost ’59 (5:01) - has an odd metered swing head, but after call-and-response between the guitars it goes into the traditional swing promised by the title
3/ Imperfect 10 (4:24) - has a twisty, busy theme (and a similar tag at the end). In between the two guitars have an elaborate dance, now intertwining, now accompanying each other's solos.
4/ As Close As That (6:22) – starts slowly & quietly with twin guitars meandering, then trading solos & exploring new approaches, then fades
5/ Amenette (5:31) – a burst of energy at the start leads into a playful back & forth showcase of slow and quick tempos with a lightning fast drum solo & space jam thrown in for good measure, quick stop
*6/ Temporarily (5:33) – "Temporarily" is an early Carla Bley composition). It is an slow obsessive yet lyrical line which the whole band explores
*7/ River Mouth (Parts 1 & 2) (9:32) – explores a beautiful rubato feel during the first part, moving on to a busier, almost bluegrass-like head for the second
*8/ For Each, A Flower (2:55) – a gorgeous melody, slow & contemplative, slow fade