As it tumbles from the speakers like an avalanche of sound, you might be forgiven for thinking that the US fusioneers’ second album occupies the same acerbic territory as Mats Gustafsson’s noise-terror outfit, The Thing.
However, it’s quickly apparent that for all the initial astringency and asymmetrical clamour, Trioscapes’ latest is a more considered affair. Such is the precision-tooled intricacy of its interlocking parts, there’s often a maths-rock Discipine-era King Crimson vibe going on. Bolstered by ex-Between The Buried And Me man Dan Briggs’ urgent fuzz bass and some rowdy salvos from Matt Lynch’s drum kit, Walter Fancourt’s saxes bellow and snarl. Although they never neglect to press home the sharp melodies. From Earth To Moon co-opts a flute to instil a Steve Reich-like circular motif which gracefully orbits between the blasts and swipes of the rhythm section’s agile interventions. With any associated avant-skronking deployed in a strategic hit-and-run capacity only (not unlike VdGG’s David Jackson at times), there’s both depth and range to this jazz-rock album, with its emphasis most decidedly on the rock part of the equation.
