Necks, The: Silverwater

The Necks are the type of band who are guaranteed to split musical opinions depending on what your hopes are when you first put a CD in to play. If attention grabbing, hook laden music, or any semblance of a chorus or melody line is what you crave for, then I suggest it's already time to read the next review. If however you have the time and patience to sit, preferably with headphones on, and allow The Necks single track album Silverwater to completely surround you, and are happy to be rewarded by something that is more akin to a spiritual journey than your average rock, prog or jazz album, then this will be perfect for you.

Not meaning to be in any way unkind, I suspect that the majority of people who stumble across The Necks may leave that experience confused, bemused and a little dazed. In fact as I listened to Silverwater in my lounge, one of my daughters actually came into the room to ask if the CD player was working properly, or if it was meant to be making those strange noises? I'd go as far as to suggest that what has been produced here may to some actually come across as a 67 minute atmospheric intro.

The Necks describe themselves as a jazz trio, however that in itself is extremely misleading as there is little conventional jazz here, although if Miles Davis at his most experimental had used layers of keyboards to express himself, then this is possibly the sort of music he would have produced. Whilst never as angular or dark as say Bitches Brew, Sliverwater does use the same sparse instrumentation and repetitive nature of that approach to seduce and cajole the listener into the correct frame of mind needed to appreciate the cinematic scope and feel of the music. It is no exaggeration to say that almost ten minutes can go by during this album where the toms repeat the same clattering fills and a gong gently chimes while a clicking, almost bone like clatter is the only respite. Under the right circumstances it is quite hypnotic and therapeutic, however played in any other context what is on offer here can quickly become background music and I have to be honest enough to say that when I played this album during the day through my sound systems speakers I found myself daydreaming to such an extent that fifteen minutes could pass and I could remember little of what I had been listening to.

It has taken a huge amount of talent and skill to write and perform Silverwater and the scope of what is being attempted here is to be applauded and admired, however for the majority of people who may hear this, beautiful though it can be, a quick shake of the head and the urge to move on may be the most likely response.

Track Listing
1. Silverwater

Added: December 29th 2009
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band's Web Site
Hits: 1839
Language: english

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