LEVIN, TORN, WHITE

When musicians of this quality gather for a new project, one cannot help but listen to it, knowing that it would have something interesting to share. I know it is not good to have prejudices, but if you hear the names of Tony Levin, David Torn and Alan White, you cannot expect anything but a pleasant listening. And I was right, the album did not let me down at all. But be careful because this is an instrumental album that is not for everyone, so if you are a pure vocal lover, this might not be for you, otherwise you will have a great time.

The Levin-Torn-White album saw the light of day this year (2011) via Lazy Bones Recordings, and comprises fourteen songs that make a total time of 55 minutes, worth of every listen, as you can imagine. The songs are not really long, oscillating from 1:30 to 5:30 minutes. The references to King Crimson or Yes may be obvious due to the musicians in this project, and it does have some moments that will remind you of them, however, the sound is not really what you would think. Here the experimental side of Torn's guitars produces rich textures that give the music a different style and direction.

The album kicks off with "No Warning Lights" which is a two minute introductory track, with some explosive moments and chaotic tunes. "Ultra Mullet" has that wonderful stick that Levin always provides, this is one of those moments that reminds us to King Crimson, however, the song changes and that experimental and even noisy side of guitars adds its grain of sand, giving the track a new direction.

"White Noise" actually sounds like the title suggest, or at least I could relate the music to that metaphoric name, which could also be related to the drummer's playing style, which is always clean, constant and challenging. "The Hood Fell" is a quirky and accomplished track, with cool guitars and great musicianship that creates a high amount of textures and nuances.

With "Monkey Mind" you can close your eyes and transport yourself to another realm and create your own story. It has at first a soft and atmospheric sound, which later morphs into a tense and even chaotic tune. This is a track I like a lot. And what I like most is that the song that follows is"Cheese it, the Corpse", which happens to be another of my favorite moments, so this particular two-song combo is probably my best loved part of the album. This track perfectly sums up this Levin-Torn-White sound, with an eclectic and experimental side that should please fans of progressive rock.

"Convergence" is another wonderful track. More atmospheric, relaxing but at the same time tense. The music flows but not only on this track, but on the whole album, so even though you understand when a new song begins, all of them are part of a puzzle - so it is like a 55- minute track divided into 14 pieces. "Pillowful of Dark" as you can imagine has that obscure sound, like being in an unknown place and being worried about the road you will take because you are afraid of being wrong. Well, the music is a matter of subjectivity, so I imagine other people have quite different mind representations.

"The Eggman Cometh" is the sorter track that sounds like pure improvisations with cool drums, atmospheric guitars and nice bass notes. On the other hand, "Sleeping Horse" is the longest one, with a richness of elements, cool guitars, dreamy atmospheres and electronic devices. The whole track continues with the same structure, but the great thing here is that if you have good headphones, you will better appreciate the new elements that are being added through the minutes.

"Prom Night of the Centipedes" has once again that atmospheric scheme, but perfectly complemented by those rock and experimental tunes. "Crunch Time" has a pretty cool bass sound that is actually addictive. The diversity in the guitar sound along with the great drums makes it a very strong and excellent track from the first to the last second.

"Brain Tattoo" is an explosive theme whose diversity of colors and textures makes it really rich. Here I really like what Torn does with his guitars, implementing different styles and sounds during the whole track. And finally "Lights Out", which begins with a softer and mellower sound, however, it is gradually progressing until it reaches a climax. This is a great song that closes this great album.

Well, so having a Tony Levin, David Torn and Alan White project is something delicious that you should not miss. I've had a great time while listening to it, so I strongly recommend it. Four stars.

Enjoy it!

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