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The Swifter
This is the eponymous debut album from Andrea Belfi (percussion), BJ Nilsen (electronics), and Simon James Phillips (piano). Recorded live in a Berlin church. the album comes across as an isolating, but effective combination of these three different artists, coming together to produce something that sounds like none of them in particular, but a whole that has its own singular sound.
The trio used the resonant space of the venue to excellent effect throughout The Swifter, with each piece bathed in a distinct, though natural reverb."End of Capstan Bars" leads off the album with a hollow, environmental clattering that has a distinct character that even the most advanced of digital reverbs could nary hope to accomplish.Because it does have such a natural quality, even when it is used heavily throughout the performance, it does not come across as cliché dark ambience.
The electronic creaking and popping textures of "End of Capstan Bars" are paired with more organic piano and brushed percussion, coming together as distinctly different take on minimalist jazz fusion."Neap Tide" has a repetitive piano and distant percussive sounds that are less musical and more environmental, having a sparse, yet beautiful arrangement.
"Swallow" is less about subtlety and instead focuses more on shambling and muffled percussion from Belfi, while Nilsen's electronic mangling comes out sounding like popping pop corn.Amidst a hollow, low frequency drone, piano and unconventional rhythms balance each other out in a strange, tense equilibrium, resulting in a surprisingly delicate sound before increasing in intensity in its latter moments.
"Wave Guidance Allows Three" is where the understated sensibility gets tossed by the wayside, with a grandiose, massive piano sound dominating, accentuated by percussion and what sounds like a simple rhythmic synth sequence.While the boisterous piano leads, it is soon deposed by the percussion taking the lead, locking everything into a vaguely krautrock groove while the piano piles up into a lush background texture.
This debut is intrinsically tied to its setting and performance, which may or may not be an important factor in future recordings.The isolationist, rhythmic quality to the sound is inviting, even though it is an obtuse approach to music.
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