Collective Acoustics return to gleefully smash together heaping helpings of jazz, electronica and experimental music. Art in the Age of Progress finds the core trio of George and Geoff Hazelrigg (keys and bass, respectively) and Eric Hastings (drums) pulling in extra sounds, including pedal steel guitar, trombone and sax, courtesy of talented friends. On this outing, the electronics are kept mostly at the periphery, a light-handed flavoring of extra interest laid over the group’s strong jazz-trio base. The classic three-piece set-up makes the perfect stepping-off point for CA’s explorations, and the pieces where it’s the strongest are some of my favorite tracks on the disc. The opener, “Follow That Kite,” kicks off with rapid-fire arpeggios up and down the keys while the rhythm section holds things steady. This is where your first taste of those small electronics touches comes in–a low buzz here, a twiddle there, just enough to catch your ear. It must be noted, though, that the electronic aspect is sometimes given a little more breathing room. “Resolution” (which features an original instrument called the buzzaphone, played by Matt Glassmeyer) has an almost sequencer-like feel at the outset, then breaks into a great electric piano riff. Speaking of which, I drop right into tracks like “Conflict” and “Carnegie Lake” with their funkified, 70’s electric jazz feel. On the sweet groove of  “Carnegie,” George’s keys recall a plugged-in Corea or Miles’ electric-epoch Hancock. Listening (yet again) to “Conflict” also makes me need to note that Hastings’ drumming is a real standout on this disc. Ranging from strident to flair-filled, it anchors everything in the tradition of  solid jazz. (Pick a good name from Blakey to Gadd; he’s in step.) It’s kept sharp and strong in the mix, from crisp snare snap to resonant whacks on the toms. It’s a pleasure to listen to his technique. Catch him flailing away in “Marianas Trench,” his hot-foot pace laying perfect counter to the Hazelrigg’s slow-descent blend of lazy bass and down-the-scale piano. If your tastes run on the jazz side of the street and you’ve got a bit of an adventurous soul, you need to catch a listen to Art in the Age of Progress. Expect to become a Collective Acoustics fan immediately thereafter.

Available from the Collective Acoustics web site.

Because my review queue is fairly backlogged, I originally intended to just write about The Ambient Visitor’s recent release, Six, as this is the one I was requested to review. As I got more deeply into the calming, generative flow of it, I went looking for more info on this side project by the man behind Bing Satellites. There I discovered that Seven and Eight had also been released, in February and March of this year, respectively. With my head still delightfully salved and gently undulating from the effects of Six, I decided to take the plunge and go straight on into the remainder of this excellent series. This was a good choice on my part.  The concept behind the series is that pieces are built from single notes looped at differing lengths, creating slow waves of change across the space of roughly an hour. The result comes out in calm streams of sound that carry you unhurriedly along. The sounds are warm for the most part, with the occasional chill of a shadow passing overhead. The Visitor clearly doesn’t want to disturb you during your stay. Six is described at the “brightest” of the series; as it was my starting-off point I can’t comment on that other than in comparison to Seven and Eight. Having looped all three in several extended, blissfully time-ignorant sittings, I can’t say I find one more tonally “light” than the others. Each piece has its own stages of brightness and shadow; each is a soft voyage in its own way with very distinct, albeit slow, movement. Seven takes some of its source material from bells, and Eight has its moments of choral pads and the touch of bass–but even so, the series benefits from the fact that one can flow into another, in whatever order, and keep the listener engaged. This is meditation-perfect music, great for low-volume looping and absolutely immersive in headphones. (I recommend going with the ‘phones.) Perhaps the best recommendation I can give is to say that, having heard Six, Seven, and Eight, I’ll be headed back for volumes One through Five.

Available from The Ambient Visitor web site.

Where to begin? Echo Us’ Tomorrow Will Tell the Story is one of those rare discs that present as being quite original while at the same time dragging forth a host of reference points. Tricky prog-influenced structures, the composed sense of a “concept album” in the truest 70s sense of the word, lead vocals that ring of a young Genesis-era Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins at the same time, rhythmic echoes of the Enigma/Deep Forest school of thought, a Hebrew canticle, soundbites from Daron Aronofsky’s Pi–all this, interwoven into a suite of pieces that have managed to fascinate and delight me over a number of quite welcome repeat listens. Ethan Matthews represents the majority of music here, aided by harp from Raelyn Olson and vocals from Henta. All Matthews’ work, from guitars to keys, is full and rich and beautifully played. Even the vocal processing is excellent and playful. There are spots where bold thunderclaps of rock bombast threaten to tip the boat, but they serve their purpose. The first track, “Out of the Blue,” carries most of that weightiness, but once past that, those eruptions are few and far between, replaced by the tight, soulful mathematics of solid prog. There’s a great sense of joy throughout Tomorrow…; the feel is uplifting overall. In a video interview, Matthews notes that he’s had enough of downbeat, dark music, and looks to infuse more of this tone into his music. It’s certainly here. If you don’t get a little happy-buzz when you’re in the middle of “Archaeous of Water Vol II: The Light It Moves, La Vie En Lumiere,” you may want to consult your therapist. A percolating beat, the aforementioned canticle, a great touch of beat-dropping before picking up into a very dance-worthy stretch…it’s an inspiring piece. Same goes for “The Mirror in the Window.” Here, jazzy rock gives way to an anthemic feel with the phrase “Tomorrow will tell” swapping between Matthews’ soaring declaration to Henta’s touched-up, almost cartoonishly sweet, echo, the whole building and growing more intense. Matthews’ guitar work takes center stage mid-track in a soaring solo, and the tonal switch at the end of the track rounds out this 8-minute narrative nicely.

Overall, Tomorrow Will Tell the Story has been a great discovery for me. There’s so much going on, between the delightfully abrupt changes of tempo and structure, the bits of familiarity I pull from the sounds, and the excellent feeling it leaves in its wake. A great disc for simple listening that’s even more fun to pay close attention to. There’s a lot happening here, and you need to hear it.

Available from the Echo Us web site.