feature photo: Kevin Reilly
Dropped out of the sky just in time for a Bandcamp Friday, MYSTIC from Tim Berne’s Screwgun Records is nearly 52 minutes of sonic exploration and discovery. This album-long single was recorded live at Philadelphia’s Solar Myth, capturing an entrancing group performance by Berne (alto saxophone), David Torn (electric guitar, effects, live looping) and Ches Smith (drums, electronics). Oh, and one more: Aurora Nealand (accordion, Bb clarinet, voice & electronics).
Just like that, Sun of Goldfinger becomes Sun and Daughter of Goldfinger, aka the Sunny Four. The original trio can whip up something fresh and weirdly original every time out, but the multi-talented Nealand is the rare musician who can nonetheless bring a lot to a group of musicians who already possess plenty in the way of ingenuity, vision and ability.
Nealand immediately lets her presence known by the early introduction of electronics, blending right in with Torn’s next-level pedal effects and live looping. The other guys Smith and Berne quickly find their spots, the latter making the melody while the others focus on mood. The windups are foreboding, the releases are nuclearly explosive. Torn along with Nealand are able to summon the sonic illusion of a full alien orchestra when the latter is called for. During one of those ramp-ups, Tim Berne trades licks with Nealand on clarinet as Smith throws haymakers from behind his kit. When the dust clears, Torn goes to work combining raw shredding ability with technologically-based art on the fly.
During a particularly funky section, Nealand emerges again, this time with an accordion. This decidedly un-electronic instrument adds a very interesting new dynamic to the group. Even more interesting when everyone else goes low to leave Nealand up front, creating an unexpectedly pastoral feeling. During a testy moment among the other three, Nealand’s accordion resembles a church organ providing a stately undercurrent below the fracas. After the final outburst, the quartet settles into a sort of otherworldly, electro-acoustic state of suspension.
Like all live performances from this cast of characters, the music lives entirely in the moment while justifying multiple moments re-hearing it. And the insertion of Aurora Nealand into this group will make you want even more listens of MYSTIC.
Get MYSTIC now, from Screwgun Records on Bandcamp.
- Soft Machine – ‘Høvikodden 1971’ (2024) - June 24, 2024
- Aurora Nealand, Mark Helias, Tim Berne – ‘Live at the 188 Club’ (2024) - June 23, 2024
- Ron Miles – ‘Old Main Chapel’ (2024) - June 19, 2024
