Hyperlynx: Rest Energy

Hyperlynx operates at the fringes of contemporary jazz, where preparation meets improvisation. This Swiss-Irish trio has assembled an eclectic instrumental arsenal: Rhodes piano, prepared zither, electric guitar, synthesizers and drums. This allows them to sculpt soundscapes both alien and familiar. On their album Rest Energy, these elements coalesce into something firmly rooted in the avant-garde, where each instrument's voice contributes to a series of unusual soundscapes.

The collaboration brings together Irish musician Matthew Jacobson (who recently made a notable contribution to Rodrigo Almonte's Blue Book project) on drums and synthesizer, alongside Swiss duo Laurent Meteau on guitar and Philipp Schlotter on Rhodes and prepared zither. Their geographic and cultural differences adding fuel to their creativity.

Hyperlynx resists easy categorization, drawing on jazz, ambient, drones and post-rock. Yet rather than simply combining these influences, they use them as launching points for building texture and atmosphere as primary compositional tools. Rejecting conventional song structures, often transitioning from quiet passages to crescendos, revealing new details with each listen.

The album opens with "Am Wasser," a slow-burning meditation where Méteau's crystalline guitar chimes emerge from pulsing electronic textures to create a shimmering sonic mirage. "Quiet Charge" ventures into more abstract territory, a study in restraint that shows the group's comfort with space, its hushed textures barely rising above a whispered industrial drone.

The contrast could not be starker when the title track arrives. Here, Jacobson's percussion ignites a fiery rhythmic foundation while Schlotter's prepared zither commands center stage before being followed by driving guitar. The trio's raw energy builds a wailing wall of sound before allowing the intensity to fragment and dissolve.

Individually, the trio has considerable experience, having played in various musical contexts, but as a collective, they have spent the last few years focused on building their remarkable and varied sound. In their quieter moments they have a folky, pastoral feel, as shown on "Breathe," with its gentle melodic guitar improvisation, soft drums and gently chiming synth providing a superbly soothing soundscape. "Berne" also charms with its layers of hypnotic repeating motifs and soft rhythmic underpinning.

The band displays a far edgier side using powerful drums and uneven surges of electronic keyboards on "BK," with the interlocking propulsive rhythms of "Coming Or Going" providing the foundation for the trio to build waves of pulsing intensity.

This collection consistently surprises with musical twists and turns; one of the album highlights, "Therapie 1," exemplifies this, as the track moves through inventively fragmented rhythms and melodic guitar passages on its course towards an uplifting ending. This ever-shifting nature keeps listeners engaged, yet the original compositions and diverse instrumentation provide a beguiling intimacy that draws the listener in to their heady mix of atmospheric and cinematic textures.