1k 2017
The Apple Of No
Eating away at the negative, Philadelphian group find their aural paradise and take it to the fusion line.
It’s not a fidget spinner on the cover of this album but a titular fruit, although listening to the American trio’s sophomore offering is as fascinating as biting the apple of knowledge, because there’s a forbidden kind of pleasure in the experience. The four immersive epics comprising the record don’t reveal their expanse right away, though, the ensemble creating a canvas instead, to gradually, almost invisibly process-wise, fill the aural space with detail. What transpires as a result is sense of wonder.
Which is why it feels crucial to set things in slow motion by giving the picture a mood, and “Disintegration Of Turbulent Surfaces” does exactly that yet, once the throb of Barry Meehan’s bass laid a background and Tim Motzer’s guitar stroke the tapestry for a ripple, making vibrant colors blindingly intense, the piece is segueing into the exquisitely delivered title track. All of this far from static even in the quietest moments, Jeremy Carlstedt’s drums bring a chaotic element to the flow, with unpredictability adding a layer of adventurousness to a melodious thunderstorm whence the nebulous “To My Stars, Only Dust” is born. It may shimmer and echo sparsely but not for long, as sustain soon starts to soar from a folk-inspired twangy foundation, filigree licks kiss the sonic sky, and the train-like momentum is gained.
Reappearing in “From Black To Light” to increase speed and tension, the band’s rocking is almost unbearably beautiful, their heavy riffs serving as an anchor for the celestial swerves in a danger zone, and it’s impossible to look away from these shifts – that’s where the fidget spinner allusion gets fleshed out. As electronic textures creep in under the skin of “Between Time” and render its dewdrop, lyrical limbo sinister and anxious yet arresting, the listener is wrapped in a constantly shifting, kaleidoscopic cocoon of universal proportions. Partaking of the Apple of No is a key to this delightful world.
*****
