C.H.A.O.S. The Improvised Sessions Vol 2

I thought Vol 1 was great fun though a little wild in places. Volume 2 is a much more together album and sounds to me as if quite a bit more equipment has been added to the racks. The guitar, on most of the numbers is also much more restrained. The first track lasts 15 mins and is the best. Sequences are used to great effect weaving in and out of one another with a simple melody played over the top. The background tapestry of sound is constantly shifting and is rather complex with loads going on low in the mix that only really comes out with repeated listening- a real corker! The second number wastes no time in getting the rhythm up and running over which a synth lead line jousts with guitar chords, great stuff. Track three sounds as if some demented pulsating machine is out of control smashing its way across a futuristic landscape. Next up we have a piece that slows things down a little. I am sure I have heard this one before, could be on a tape Dave Gurr sent me. Anyway, it builds up slowly creating ominous tension. The main theme is repeated time after time and becomes hypnotic after a bit. Following on we have a swirling number with a very good theme, rather low in the mix, with guitar effects darting in and out. The track is very muddy and to me sounds as if it could have been recorded about the same time as their previous album. A similar comment could have been made about the sixth piece, a very strange grungy affair. There was even something that sounded like an alien burping in there somewhere. The final track is another muddy one, the rhythm is again hypnotic and effects swirl around it with the occasional melody fighting to the surface. This is another number that sounds better with repeated listening. I particularly like the middle section where it becomes more sparse with lead line and rhythm combining to greatest effect. (DL)

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