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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Adriana Sá, John Klima & Tó Trips - Timespine (Shhpuma,2013) ****

By Stef 

Shhpuma, the label issuing this CD describes the three musicians as follows : "Adriana Sá comes from experimental music and visual arts, having created and performed with custom instruments combining acoustic elements, software and sensor technologies. To Trips is a blues inspired guitarist, the co-founder of the unique and puzzling country-fado-jazz-rock band Dead Combo; and John Klima was a member of the pop group who became The Presidents of the United States of America, many years before their MTV days. String instruments are at the core of Timespine – a zither, a dobro, and a bass guitar".

The result of these three string instruments from different backgrounds meeting is nothing less than spectacular. The sound is slow, meditative, bluesy, melancholy, yet at the same time zen-like and spiritual. It may sound new-agey at times, but then it's too free and captivating and full of unexpected changes and interventions to be compared to kitsch. Quite the contrary, it is genuine, deeply felt and rooted.

Think of Ry Cooder's "Paris, Texas" for the overall mood, maybe. There is no hurry, no need to rush, just time to feel, to let sounds sink in, to absorb and then to add, with precision, with accuracy, enhancing the mood, sharing a touch, a gentle additional note, a minuscule sound to create a stronger whole.

It is so unique, that I share the video below. Trust me, the whole CD is like this, and yes, it remains captivating.




1 comments:

Martin Schray said...

Sounds absolutely great.