Sea Of Tranquility



The Web Source for Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal & Jazz-Fusion
  Search   in       
Main Menu




Food: Mercurial Balm

After an intriguing but perhaps not wholly satisfying debut for ECM back in 2010, avant-garde jazz act Food have followed up Quiet Inlet with the equally dense platter titled Mercurial Balm. This time around, the core of the band, Thomas Stronen (drums, percussion, electronics), Iain Ballamy (saxophones, electronics), Christian Fennesz (guitar, electronics), and Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet) are joined by Prakash Sontakke on slide guitar and vocals and Eivind Aarset on guitar and electronics. Recorded in Oslo, Norway, there's a bleakness about this album that coincides directly with the region that it gave birth to.

After the airy & tranquil opening of "Nebular", Stronen's busy drum & percussion work provides the foundation for spacey electronics and Ballamy's soul searching sax on "Celestial Food". It's a pleasant, somewhat upbeat track, and easily one of the CDs highlights. "Ascendant" provides some chilling background noise created by guitar soundscapes and Ballamy's mysterious sax melodies, while the tribal beats and undercurrent of menace permeate the dark "Phase". The slow build of "Astral" goes on for just over 9-minutes, but in all honesty it could have probably been shortened some, as it's not till nearly the mid-way point before some crashing guitar chords and squealing sax come into play. The title track features some tasty guitar melodies (good to see the band is putting their 3 axe players to some use here), and "Galactic Roll" is a superb vehicle for Stronen's rumbling drum attack underneath some yearning sax melodies courtesy of Ballamy.

As with Quiet Inlet, Mercurial Balm is not an easy nor always engaging listen, but there is no denying the level of understated musicianship & songwriting on display here. Good to hear the presence of guitars throughout the CD, as sparingly used as they are (one of my complaints about their previous outing) but it seems to have come at the expense of Molvaer, whose trumpet work really takes a backseat. Solid stuff though, which won't be for everyone's jazz tastes but if you have an ear for avant-garde and minimalistic sounds give this a try.


Track Listing
1) Nebular
2) Celestial Food
3) Ascendant
4) Phase
5) Astral
6) Moonpie
7) Chanterelle
8) Mercurial Balm
9) Magnetosphere
10) Galactic Roll

Added: June 11th 2013
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: ECM Records
Hits: 1806
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend Send to a Friend ]

  

[ Back to the Reviews Index | Post Comment ]


» Reader Comments:

Food: Mercurial Balm
Posted by on 2024-03-12 08:17:31
My Score:

Food plays a central role in our lives, intertwining with culture, health, and pleasure. From the sizzle of a grill to the aroma of freshly baked bread, food tantalizes our senses and brings people together. In today's fast-paced world, convenience is key, and services like instacart have revolutionized how we shop for groceries, making it easier than ever to access a wide array of ingredients and cuisines. With a few taps on a smartphone, we can have our favorite foods delivered right to our door, satisfying cravings and saving time in our busy schedules.








© 2004 Sea Of Tranquility
For information regarding where to send CD promos and advertising, please see our FAQ page.
If you have questions or comments, please Contact Us.
Please see our Policies Page for Site Usage, Privacy, and Copyright Policies.

All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. The comments are property of their posters, all other content © Sea of Tranquility

SoT is Hosted by SpeedSoft.com