Mount Analog
New Skin

Seattle-based group conceived by Tucker Martine, Mount Analog presents their second work accompanied by Bill Frisell and hosting musicians such as Eyvind Kang, Doug Weiselman, Tim Young, Keith Lowe & Fred Chalenor.

Martine has also worked with John Zorn and Jim White, so we are talking about a diverse and musically complex character, and indeed this "creation" of his is definitely complex.

The album begins as if it were an opera, with an orchestra tuning their instruments, then transitions into experiments conducted with classical-type instruments, slowly leading to a sort of American folk from the Wild West. However, nothing about it is ever clear and linear; let's say that various sensations are felt, but you're never truly enveloped by them. The CD never takes a definite direction; it always maintains a personal style, offering very pleasant sensations.

Although at first glance it may seem like a very demanding listen, it actually flows serenely and soothingly because the experiments are never so overwhelming as to disturb the ear. There's no singing, but background voices are often heard—children, laughter. The work lasts about forty minutes, divided into eleven tracks, of which it makes little sense to talk about individually. Perhaps the last one, "The Wake," is the most peculiar, with accompaniment created by voices imitating bird calls and others in the background shouting something, all immersed in a bucolic and dreamy dimension.

Great album.