On this short, spontaneous album, drummer and percussionist Danny Frankel draws on a wide variety of musical inspirations. From the open ended cosmos exploring improvisations to abstract inner-space ruminations, the music he creates with guitarist Nels Cline and organist Larry Goldings has a curious and exploratory edge. The most successful passages include “That Spider on the Wall" in which mysterious and haunting organ swirls around jagged guitar accents and light, ever shifting percussion. “Apple Cider Vinegar" touches on film and television music, especially the great soundtracks made for police and spy shows in the 1950's and '60's. Goldings swirls ominously while Cline improvises at a distance over an insistent beat. The pace stays fast on “Blue, Black and Silver" before dropping off abruptly to Sun Ra inspired section featuring empty echoing keyboard with skittering percussion. An off kilter yet funky beat anchors “Dark Bob" with organ and guitar accents manipulated by electronics and delay effects, making for a cool and unusual sound over nice percussion work. Frankel's percussion is also the focus of a series of short miniatures, “Nefarious, Parts 1-3" where he sets up a brief hint of a rhythm and uses it as transition point to the next piece of music. Overall this was an interesting and brief (LP length) series of short musical vignettes. The musicians respond the the open space well, creating some interesting and unusual sounds that should be compelling to open eared listeners. Interplanetary Note/Beat Conference—CDBaby.com
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