Iapetus 2015
Mundo Nuevo
Rediscovering one’s inner world: nocturnal revelations from a six-string philosopher.
Master of interplay he may be, but Markus Reuter’s real soul gets bared when the Berlin artist is alone before the audience. That’s the very beginning of his every show, actually, and arguably its most delicious part – thanks to the intros’ utter unpredictability – and Reuter’s been arranging these openings into concept statements since 2014, when “Sultry Kissing Lounge” saw the light of night. Now, Markus’ lines recorded in South America during the STICK MEN tour, a month after the trio’s Japanese expansion, to become the series final installment, “Mundo Nuevo” explores the depth of harmony on a darkly emotional level, the guitarist sharing the space with fellow axe-grinders and other kindred spirits.
The album start finds him dragging a drone through the sieve of Pat Mastelotto’s rumble and tying the strains of tune into a liquid knot on the other side, raspy and glossy at the same time, while the finale is colored with Lilian Giubetich’s cello, as Reuter trades licks and links with Luciano Pietrafesa. The latter appears also in the peaceful-to-anxious “Industry” improv of the sixth item on display, while the former provides a sad swell to the swirls of the third piece on offer – layered mesmerically to pull the listener in and never let go. For all the earthiness of the preceding noise, the sonic palette of “Part 2” could be impressionist if it didn’t crystallize into a glass wall to become orchestrally solid and let Alex Anthony Faide’s pinches bounce off it before turning metallic for the fourth, swamp-blues element of this aural puzzle.
A shade of flamenco ripples the flow of “Part 5” where Wayne Krantz’s cranky touch is felt; it’s here, as well as in the parting explosions, that the sheer physicality of this beauty manifests itself. That’s why, although the album’s available as free download, a limited hard option should be preferred – tangible in all aspects.
****4/5
