TRIOSK: The Headlight Serenade (The Leaf Label)

TRIOSK
The Headlight Serenade
BAY49CD
The Leaf Label 2006
11 Tracks. 56mins05secs



Buy it: CD
Triosk | The Leaf Label

Triosk were formed in Sydney, Australia, in 2001 by Laurence Pike (drums), Adrian Klumpes (piano and keyboards) and Ben Waples (bass), three musicians with deep roots in improvised jazz. The first manifestation of the band was their collaboration with Jan Jelinek on 1+3+1, published in 2003 on ~Scape. The music on this album was created out of largely improvised sessions over pre-recorded loops, a process they also adopted for Moment Returns, their proper debut album, released on Leaf a year later.

The Headlight Serenade is the fruit of a much more considered approach. While improvisations still serve as the main basis for the compositions presented here, the tracks were developed over a longer period of time, each idea being worked on to its full potential. This results in a much more accomplished collection of tracks and a more consistent feel to the whole album. Right from the opening moments of Visions IV, the melody blows a gently breeze over shimmering orchestration and discreet drums, creating a rich dreamy setting far removed from urban connections. All along this album, Triosk refine the same principle, expertly applying it to various sonic contexts. Although there are still strong connections with the electronica movement to be found scattered over this album, Triosk seem to have adopted a resolutely more live approach. If the source improvisation have been processed and rearranged, the band’s aim at retaining the organic aspect of that part of their work means that this album feels extremely natural and flows beautifully from start to finish. While it is certainly apparent on Visions IV, One, Twenty-Four or Fear Survivor, and even more so on Intensives Leben, the vast sonic spaces of Lazyboat or Vostok reveal multiple layers of iridescence all contributing to the glistening feel of each piece.

There is more of a classic jazz feel to The Headlight Serenade than there was on its predecessor, yet this is not to say that Triosk have turned their back on experimentations. The tail end of Lazyboat or the cascading dissonances of Headlights are amongst the most obvious escapades into rugged terrains, but Triosk continuously challenge their boundaries to assert their sonic space. With this album, they combine accessible structures with more difficult sections with great agility and never lose focus on retaining the most vibrant part of their live improvisations.