Music Banter - View Single Post - Anteater's 30 (ish) Favorite Albums Of 2014

**Exo** · 12-27-2014, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

9. Trioscapes - Digital Dream Sequence

Put On A Playlist With: Pharoah Sanders, Between The Buried & Me, Mahavishnu Orchestra

A dynamite cocktail between savage old school jazz-fusion and the crazier side of modern metal that has culminated into an experience so stellar that it would be impossible for me to leave it out of my top ten. The band itself, made up of Between The Buried And Me’s Dan Briggs on bass, tenor saxophonist and flautist Walter Fancourt (Casual Curious, Brand New Life) and drummer Matt Lynch (Eyris), has a chemistry that rivals Rush at their peak in sheer teleplay and enough variety to easily stride ahead of the majority of other jazz albums that have hit the market this year. At the very least, you'll find yourself raising your eyebrows a bit in appreciation for the talent on display here.

What I like most about the record is the range and overall balance of ideas on Digital Dream Sequence: for example, there's a lot of quieter interludes with cool keyboards and jazzy flute on cuts like 'From The Earth To The Moon' or the noir-drenched 'Hysteria", but there's also plenty of blistering bass runs and a lot of energy and awesome sax solos that makes the quieter or more contemporary touches in the electronics and production stand out even more vividly in the mind of the listener.

In short, it takes something exceptional to "wow" me in jazz. Now, its true that I cut lot of contemporary jazz slack because you treat that stuff more like pop music: the hooks work or they don't. In the case of something treading more typical "jazz territory" however, my standards are high. The best jazz isn't experimental to the point of being unsustainable to one's ears or safe to the point of boredom: its a highwire act that strikes just the right vibe to catch you and draw in your imagination...and Trioscapes accomplished that with flying colors in 2014. Bravo with a capital B!

This is amazing.