Chemist
The Necks
(Fish of Milk)
Rating: ***1/2
The thirteenth recording from multi-award winning Sydney trio, The Necks, could be their most interesting. Not quite minimalist, nor ambient, not quite jazz, and certainly not pop/rock, yet using elements from each, The Necks’ improvisations might be described as cosmic aural wallpaper.
Main departures here are: a move away from formulaic flowing pastoral openings building to crescendo and back; shorter tracks (approximately 20mins); greater use of electronics; and drummer Tony Buck’s over-dubbed guitar.
Fatal opens with guitar and digital effects against an insistent middle eastern rhythm by Lloyd Swanton’s bass with drums, as Chris Abrahams embarks on exploratory pianistics and surging electronics increase in intensity. Buoyant has satellite beeps and minimalist meandering piano as the bass establishes a slow tempo, evolving into a double-time groove, finally reverting to the opening feel. Repetitive passages with imperceptible changes, common to this work, are inherent in Abillera as drums emerge in a swinging pattern to push the piano into a stronger jumble of rapid notes.
This review first appeared in The Australian and is reprinted with permission of the author.
