Recorded in 1989 and only now released, this studio album includes Pat Thomas on keys & electronics in a sextet with guitar & bass, synth, turntables, electronic wind instruments, drum machines, samplers, &c., merging ea-improv approaches with disruptively odd asides, fragmented voices, and swelling interventions, making something otherworldly out of then-revelatory technology.
Recorded in 1989 and only now released, this studio album includes Pat Thomas on keys & electronics in a sextet with guitar & bass, synth, turntables, electronic wind instruments, drum machines, samplers, &c., merging ea-improv approaches with disruptively odd asides, fragmented voices, and swelling interventions, making something otherworldly out of then-current technology. It's at times amusing, at times amazing, rarely predictable, and always engaging. One wonders why this never saw the light of day, and research found no indication the band performed live, or explains their relationship. Having collected many albums in the pop, jazz and experimental vein that included similar instrumentation, I find the intention and mischievous nature of the music fascinating. In many ways it points to the future direction of ea-improv and similar non-idiomatic approaches. But it also reminds of the excitement of that orchestration, and the enthusiasm of those working with those then-revolutionary instruments. Definitely a fun and informative listen.