Album Reviews: January 23 2022: L'Orage, Steph Green, Otis Sandsjö & Niklas Wandt, Dalibor Cruz, Jake Xerxes Fussell
Photo by Lisa Fotios
Triangle, L'Orage (2022)
jazz/afro/funk
Hailing from Switzerland, L'Orage are a jazz ensemble operating at the intersection of classic and progressive styles of jazz, mixing the results with a dash of afro funk for good measure. While opener Pentatetrahydratonic is a straightforward free jazz affair, tracks such as Universal and Rusty Five incorporate more modern sonic endeavours to widen the scope of the danceable rhythms. The saxophone, especially on Neo, is played passionately and with dexterity. The relentlessly excited percussion throughout Triangle is a highlight, and a tour-de-force. Closer Ghost Triangle brings the collection to an adventurous and enjoyable climax before teetering out.
★★★★
alternative/folk
A powerful voice is enough to reach deep parts of the psyche, and on Thanks for That Steph Green injects her dulcet vocals with enough character and nuance to give a human emotion to the folk-lounge vibes on offer. Intimate album highlight When Your Life Had Romance and Meaning is a tongue-in-cheek ode to the one who got away. This is a nostalgic listen and one that is worth holding on to for those especially lonely rainy afternoons.
★★★½
jazz
It takes a city as progressive and unique as Berlin to inspire a duo to make music like this. The free jazz instrumentation across the album's six tracks is as both ugly as it is beautiful; like shoddy graffiti on the Brandenburg gate. Saxophonist Otis Sandsjö explores themes of tension and confusion while Niklas Wandt creates the atmospheres to answer the questions Sandsjö poses; a frantic scattering of percussion, sounding like the musical equivalent of a robotic dog learning how to use its legs. On highlight Furnacella, the dynamic between the two players becomes so intense that it almost becomes hard to listen to, exactly as one would want.
★★★★½
electronic/experimental
An intriguing listen from electronic Chicagoan Daibor Cruz. The tracks are given plenty of time and space to induce their atmosphere-bending capabilities. Textured drums are spliced up and merged with an odd array of creatively used samples, ambiences and production trickery.
★★★
folk
Jake Xerxes Fussell’s fourth album is one which showcases a confident and established songsmith at play. Strongly rooted in Americana and folk traditions, this collection isn't afraid to incorporate elements of jazz and indie, such as on album highlight Breast of Glass. The instrumental What Did the Hen Duck Say to the Drake? wonderfully marries electric guitar, violin and quirky percussion to produce a track of joyous proportions, whereas the other instrumentals on the album feel like they're missing Fussell's gentle and deep yarns.
★★★½