Although he's garnered attention recently for his tenure in Wilco, Nels Cline has long been an exciting and adventurous artist in his own right. Following up last year's New Monastery, a tribute to legendary jazz giant Andrew Hill, Cline returns with a diverse batch of compositions alongside compatriots Devin Hoff and Scott Amendola. The music ranges from fairly familiar guitar-based jazz with "Caved-In Heart Blues," which wouldn't be out of place on a Bill Frisell album, and "The Angel Of Angels" to full-on sonic meltdowns such as "An Evening At Pops'" (all 16 minutes of it) and "Mixed Message." While not every moment here sings with the brilliance evident on New Monastery (a nearly unthinkable feat to be sure), longtime fans and Wilco lovers eager to see what the sideman's up to will no doubt revel in the artist's ability to draw upon a broad spectrum of sounds and styles to emerge with an album that's never less than interesting and, more often than not, awe-inspiring.
Track Listing
1. Caved-In Heart Blues
2. Attempted
3. Confection
4. An Evening At Pops'
5. The Angel Of Angels
6. Recognize I
7. Mixed Message
8. Recognize II
9. Squirrel Of God
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