Following two double live albums (Psychedelic Backfire I and II) this Norwegian prog-jazz trio return with a new studio album that is more reflective in tone than their wilder predecessors.
The seven tracks are more structured and less jam oriented with Rite Of Accession clocking in as the longest track at a relatively modest 7 minutes, 12 seconds.
Elephant9's rhythm section of Nikolai Hængsle (electric bass, guitars) and Torstein Lofthus (percussion) is complemented by Supersilent keyboardist Ståle Storløkken. All but one of the seven new compositions were written by Storløkken; the other one was composed by Hængsle.
|
The album drifts along meditatively, veering towards easy listening lounge mode, but there are enough stirring moments, notably in Chemical Boogie, to keep it from getting too soporific.
The wildness may be contained but there's always the feeling that a more eclectic energy is bubbling just beneath the surface.
|