Necks

An uncommon approach to music from a traditional band set-up of upright bass, drums and keyboards, the Necks form patterns in their music, using one track that spans the entire CD to develop concepts that are almost mathematical, rather than typical catchy melodies. Aether opens with silence, then a shimmering note from a piano splashes and ripples into the quiet, followed by scant brushes against the cymbals, then silence. The piano note returns again, followed by a more elongated rustle from the cymbals and sparse notes from the upright bass, then Silence again, but less so. This pattern repeats throughout the first half of the CD, with more elaborate shimmering returns each time, to the point where the notes overlap and the silence evaporates, playing on sparsity and resonance. Towards the end a constant rippling effect is created where all three instruments work together in unison to create an intense, repetitive intersection of notes, like an instrumental version of minimal techno. The music of Aether is similar to compositions by Charlemagne Palestine and Steve Reich, but the Necks take on a gentler, more ambient and atmospheric approach, hence the aptness of the title.