ELEPHANT9 WITH REINE FISKE: ATLANTIS

Elephant9 are back with their distinctive power trio sound. The Organ-Bass-Drums combination (still sounding like an angry Medeski Martin & Wood on a combination of steroids and speed) is there but this time augmented on several tracks by Reine Fiske - a guitar player I confess I know nothing about - but who plays in an angular electric style somewhere between John McLaughlin and Robert Fripp. The effect of this - plus whatever fiddling Stale Storlokken has been doing with his Organ (ho-ho) has lead to a harder sound that has put a bit more rock into their jazz-rock fusion sound.

For all of that there are still moments when the bass (more prominent and inventive) still catches a seriously funky beat for the organ to improvise around in a Headhunters style workout, and these provide some of the album highlights in Atlantis and Freedom's Children, but most noticeably in the opening track - where I do not know how Storlokken generates the tortured noises he does from his organ - until I looked I assumed it was a distorted electric guitar - are Emerson-style knives involved? Contrast this to the gentle acoustic playing on A Foot In The Bath and the sound seems more varied than previous albums - a band not afraid to experiment

This album confirms that Elephant9 remain the world's bets and most creative Organ power- trio. It should be loved by any Jazz-rock fusion fan and the rockier edge should make it an excellent access point to the genre for fans of heavier prog. Highly recommended.