DAVID TORN, MICK KARN & TERRY BOZZIO: POLYTOWN

If there exists a genre that Polytown would fit into, it should be named "dark jazz". Polytown was recorded in 1993 and still sounds incredibly fresh 11 years later. The music throughout the whole record is claustrophobic, dark and sinister. Tempos are moderately slow and instrumentation sparse, but Bozzio, Karn and Torn know how to fill up the space in clever ways without sounding self-indulgent. Karn's fretless bass mostly carries the main melody while Bozzio and Torn solo over, creating a haunting and menacing atmosphere. Polytown is remarkable for it's consistency. The group manages to maintain a very unique sound throughout the entire album without being repetitive or boring. What Torn, Karn and Bozzio created in Polytown sounds like futuristic jazz-rock from desert climates. Even the album cover alludes to exotic locations. While this album will sound unique at first listen, it may take a while to reveal its genius to most listeners. All in all, this is a very convincing and engaging album that enables mind to travel to places that body may never visit.