The trio of Discus head Martin Archer, percussionist Martin Pyne and trumpeter Charlotte Keeffe that released 2021’s democratic collaboration Hi Res Heart has chosen to reconvene and to trade under that name for a new extended venture.
The full length of a CD is taken advantage of here and with only seven tracks, a couple of them sprawl into the twenty-minute mark while the three compositions are slightly more succinct. This makes for a decidedly tumultuous journey going from the gentle vibraphone and joyful African lilt of Martin’s opening “Trail Of Tears” to the crazed bass scrape and fiddle wandering of the title track.
The emotional flugelhorn and shaker percussion make for an interesting combination and the addition of the two new players certainly bears healthy fruit, the different textures sitting well together while the title track gives the players plenty of opportunity to show their worth. It feels like a door being opened to some unexpected realm, the sawing bass a distant threat as the fiddle meanders like a lonely child, placid dog at its heels. It feels pastoral but wild, horns on the edge of notes, the breath as integral a sound. There is groaning and grinding as the bass sidesteps and shimmies developing into a game of tag deep in the wild. There is some tension in the fiddle as the track progresses and the horns shiver in anticipation. It is an enormous scene-setter that delves from furious drama to minimalist consideration in no time.Thankfully, “Only Disobeying Orders” is a recorder-led calming down, the breaths of horn summoning up a distant blurry vision while the percussion on “Heavy Manners” stands out, the fevered rush of the instruments dipping and soaring from near silence are tempered by the variety of rhythmic input. The metallic shimmers and deep resonances play with the bass thrum and lend a comfortable bed to the awkward embellishments.
Charlotte’s “Weeds” returns to sold ground with a walking bass that supports the joy of her resounding old-time riffing and Andy’s sweet vibes workout. The quintet certainly make the listener work and you can feel the personalities coming through, each eager to show what they have to offer, but never overstepping their boundaries.It is the long improvs where they really stretch their legs though and I guess when you have five people involved, the tendency to let go and allow the snowball to run will find you in a completely different place ten minutes later. Somebody may decide to instil a little order if things are going too far off piste, but it is like a gentle reminder and they will all play around with that for a little bit before someone takes the lead and scampers off. The fiddle often brings tension with the others reacting to that by becoming more measured, while there are moments where you feel a slight battle of wills as a forceful direction is taken, be it percussive variations throwing new routes open or a sudden bass run that drops the temperature.
It is heady, wild stuff which comes to a conclusion with the short burst of Martin’s “The Twister”, which is a harmonica-led sinuous and slightly woozy strut that feels almost like a palate cleanser after the feverish “Snake Oil” and yet another reminder of what this group can accomplish. It is wild, florid and fantastic in its scope and yet another shining feather in the Discus cap; a must for all those seeking adventure.-Mr Olivetti-
