The Necks
Chemist

THE NECKS, Chemist (2006)

In this album, there are only three musical tracks, none of which shine for technical execution or compositional originality. I don't know these The Necks, and I approached their work with great curiosity and attention, only to be really disappointed.

The trio has a classically jazz composition: Piano/Keyboards - Bass/Double Bass - Drums, but this album has very little jazz sound. Various musical influences converge in it, but not mixed to achieve particular synergies but almost to confuse the listener with clues that are minute yet volatile. If one must label this album with a genre, it could be called lounge-easy-progressive (whatever that might mean).

The album has the merit of immediately hinting at its artistic goal; the creation of a sound world that envelops the listener, hypnotizing them. The unfortunate part is that only this attempt is perceived. The compositions, besides not being engaging, are not original at all.

Fatal, the first track, is also the most enjoyable. It progresses without excess, with a fabric of percussion. At a certain point, it ends, leaving one wondering where the following tracks are headed.

Buoyant is truly cloying. You hear a slapped double bass. Slowly. Ding Dong Dang. For a couple of minutes, end of the piece.

Abillera is as long as Fatal but with an even more predictable composition. This track closes the album, and there's an attempt to make it a bit more 'grandiose' with some sudden accelerations combined with tonal changes of disconcerting banality.

In short, I'm not interested in getting into a debate with those who have seen in The Necks musical paths never before explored, but for me, this music constitutes only a simplification of sound experiments that other usual suspects (Miles Davis, Charles Mingus) proposed and surpassed themselves already at the beginning of the '60s.

The most irritating thing is not so much that good music is made by repeating the good music of half a century ago (assuming it can truly be considered good music). The most irritating thing is that this album features only these experiments stretched to the point of boredom and in a style that is not experimental at all. There are no particularly complex melodies, as I wrote above, it is clear from the first listen where they want to go, the album can be listened to without truly being shocked by the experience, and in modern music, this means already having one foot in boredom or perhaps winking at a market that wants to think little even when listening to music that might appear sophisticated.

As for the technical execution of the tracks. Certainly, the trio is composed of people who know how to hold an instrument. Whether they are very good at playing it, I cannot say, because the album doesn't seem to highlight any particular technical skills of any kind.

An album to listen to out of curiosity only.