Ink 19
Very much akin to their
Midwest brethren that populate Chicago's Thrill
Jockey label, Fantastic Merlins are well-versed in
jazz-influenced trips into the avant-garde. Think
more Isotope 217's fractured fusion or Town and
Country's deft manipulation of drones instead of
Tortoise's overarching post-rock fascination. The
disc's liner notes draw a parallel between jazz and
cinema as being both "art-forms masquerading as
entertainment" and it's an interesting assertion
since Look Around plays like a long forgotten
soundtrack from a very bizarre genre film.
Compositions like the title track and "A Very Small
Animal" are pure odes to noir, with luminous brass
melodies shining off cello-slicked drones. It's the
sound of a humid August night in the city with the
latter track becoming imbued with some piquant Middle
Eastern melodies as it closes out.
In contrast to these languid numbers, the abstract funk of "I Was Behind the Couch All the Time" and the mind-bending psychedelic science fiction climax "It Would Seem" get the blood flowing fairly quickly. The Merlins are adept at steering their sound between quirky and sophisticated, pensive and manic when changing their sonic moods. It might be impressionistic and wholly light on structure, but it's still much more accessible than most other acts carrying the "free jazz" label.
Innova: www.innova.mu
Aaron Shaul
In contrast to these languid numbers, the abstract funk of "I Was Behind the Couch All the Time" and the mind-bending psychedelic science fiction climax "It Would Seem" get the blood flowing fairly quickly. The Merlins are adept at steering their sound between quirky and sophisticated, pensive and manic when changing their sonic moods. It might be impressionistic and wholly light on structure, but it's still much more accessible than most other acts carrying the "free jazz" label.
Innova: www.innova.mu
Aaron Shaul