Articles
Robert Henke
Deepchord and Soultek

Albums
Amoebazoid
Boy Is Fiction
BTB
Calika
Vic Chesnutt
Enrico Coniglio
Eric Copeland
Deadbeat
Deepchord : Echospace
Ditch
Terrence Dixon
Brian Ellis
Reinhold Friedl
The Green Kingdom
Marc Hannaford
Hrsta
K. Leimer
Lights Out Asia
Nebula 3
Netherworld
Le Peuplier de Simon
Po
Portable
Lou Reed
Jeffrey Roden
Skallander
Swod
Gregory Taylor
Telephone Jim Jesus
Pau Torres
Tunng
Rolan Vega
Robert Vincs
Warmth
Otomo Yoshihide

Compilations / Mixes
Sander Kleinenberg
One Point Two
Total 8

3"/ 7"/ 10"/ 12"/ EPs
Adultnapper
Arrow!!!
Ascoltare
Beneva vs. Clark Nova
Cinematic Orchestra
Deepchord : Echospace
Easy Changes
Fink
Peter Grummich
The Heavy
Isomer Transition
Laptik
Larytta
Nadja
Pendle Coven
Polvere
Redhooker
Spied
Andy Stott
Torrance & Hochstrate
Andy Vaz

Brian Ellis: The Silver Creature
Benbecula

Benbecula classifies Brian Ellis's The Silver Creature as jazz fusion but the album's material is closer to post-rock that tilts towards jazz fusion. There's no denying Ellis's command of multiple instruments is formidable (he can play more than fourteen instruments), and the fact that The Silver Creature is entirely the product of one multi-tracked individual as opposed to an improvising ensemble is pretty remarkable too, especially when the live feel is so convincingly realized during its nine Live-Evil-styled exercises and peyote-fueled psychedelic space jams.

The album impresses less, however, on compositional grounds. As someone who has devoted more hours than should legally be allowed listening to classic fusion (Weather Report, Return To Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra) and post-rock (Tortoise, Timeout Drawer, Explosions in the Sky), something more than impressive execution is needed to keep me coming back. It's the melodies and themes of “Birds of Fire,” “Nubian Sundance,” and “Pharaoh's Dance” that park themselves permanently in one's cranium above all else, and it's that aspect that Ellis's album lacks. Ultra-busy cuts like “Say” and “Night Trails” suggest that his primary model isn't, in fact, fusion but Squarepusher, especially when the tracks exhibit a bass-heavy penchant for electronic theatrics. The greasy soul-jazz funk of “Home Cookin'” comes closest to roping in a memorable fusion theme, and the closing minutes of “Cookies and Cream” are distinguished by a tight On the Corner-like groove. But generally speaking one struggles to find compositional writing that equals the inspired playing. If a convincing simulation of post-rock / jazz fusion jamming is what you're after, then The Silver Creature ably fits the bill; if memorable themes and melodies are the game you're hunting, you may want to look elsewhere.

September 2007