VERTIGO OF FLAWS

Time to ramble a bit as this is my final TREES SPEAK review and I'm so thankful to have discovered them and owe Hugues a "thanks!" for seeing him time and time again on multiple sites recommend this band. Once again we get this stew of Electronic Krautrock, Psychedelic, Soundtrack music and Miles Davis experimental-like stuff. Damian and Daniel Diaz are two intelligent musicians who named their band after a technology of putting data in trees believing trees communicate to each other. All you have to do is read their thoughts on music to realize these guys are on a different level. On that SHAMBLEMATHS level I'd say.

I reviewed their two albums from 2020 finding "Ohms" a tough nut to crack much like this one. "Shadow Forms" the other album from 2020 was easier to get into and felt like a companion record to "Ohms". In 2021 they released "PostHuman" which contains their most exciting music and reaches highs that the other records don't. Having said that "Vertigo Of Flaws" is everything I believe they have been shooting for. It's different in that the others are all 40 minute records while this is one 84 minute plus cd with 29 tracks. It took many spins to unlock it but man this is the one in my opinion. It's also the only one to actually have useful info in the liner notes. From nothing basically on the earlier three cds to pictures of the band and their instruments and lots of written info too. The total package right here.

"When communicating a musical idea, we often refer to musical diagrams to express dynamics, chords, key signatures, and emotional expression. These graphic notations are a template to communicate esoteric concepts, and musicians are free to improvise and perform within these parameters. We use this form of art expression during live performances and in-studio recordings. It is a simple way to explain an overarching idea without getting into too many details to capture a particular aesthetic." There are many examples of these diagrams in the thick liner notes which is really cool to study. So we get the duo plus five guests and Gabriel Sullivan really should be your third member guys come on! Pictures of the Diaz boys and Gabriel and the Dust & Stone recording studio are all appreciated. We get a quote from John Cage and other stuff that is way over my head. "Vertigo Of Flaws" was recorded in Brooklyn, New York, and Tuscon, Arizona during the plague of 2020 and 2021."

I feel like the drumming has been given more prominence here and it is outstanding. There's probably ten tracks that really standout for me including the opener "Seventh Mirror" a catchy tune driven by drums and bass. "Interference" has this jazz groove like NUCLEUS with the bass, beats and horn drones. Check out the drumming before 2 minutes. "Pyramid" again has this groove with excellent drum work. Bass and keyboards as well. "Optics" has these deep bass sounds with drums and atmosphere. Really good! It turns to electronics before 2 minutes then back to that powerful sound from before. "Stasi" has these sounds that pulse quickly as the bass joins in. It's building with drums joining in. Catchy stuff. Drums to the fore around 2 minutes then back to the previous sound.

"Violence Cascades" has vibes and piano along with atmosphere. This is haunting as drums arrive. Really interesting music here. Sounds like cello around 1 1/2 minutes. A great avant sounding piece. "Traumsprache" is a dark and experimental soundscape like part two of the previous tune. "Threnody" has trumpet expressions, electronics and drums. A Miles vibe 2 minutes in. "Mind Oscillation" has these sounds that pulse so fast as other sounds join in. This is like an electronic UNIVERS ZERO track. So good. "Hidden Machine" with that spacey sound with bass. Finally "Cloud Chamber" my final top ten with bass, trumpet expressions and piano as it plods along.

I have quit buying new music on-line once again after many problems. Funny I think in the ten years I ordered music I had one issue during that time. Over a few months I have had many issues so I have stopped and will enjoy what I have. Looking forward to the 35 or so cds from 2018 to 2022 that I did buy though. These four TREES SPEAK cds were over 2 months getting to me as the order got lost. So glad they came! Great way to end my run.