Moonjune Rec.
Moraine : Manifest DeNsity (US,2009)***°
Morraine is a Seattle-based quintet led by guitarist who worked before with Jeff Greinke, Hector Zazou and had one foot in China for a long while. The quintet itself also had many collaborators from progressive, jazzrock, contemporary post-rock and avant-jazz milieu (and cooperated with names like Jeff Greinke, K.Leimer, members from King Krimson, REM, Pearl Jam, Ministry and occasional members from Chinese origin).
The compositions sound like chamber-music rock improvisations with an instrumental rock fundament. The evolution is clear as from a one composer’s vision (so not like a group’s challenge) composing with a combination of instruments, changing in time perspective its rather jazz-lyrical inspired melodic evolutions. There are some progressive and semi-R.I.O. complexity of rhythmic changes but also these still sound rather lyrical in its rhythmical evolution. This is only at times a bit more classical in nature. Mostly and more clearly are the inspirations of a jazz-rock nature and developments and ideas which came from playing and developing melody on the guitar, on rather steady jazzy rhythms which most often remain available in the developments of the compositions. The violin improvisations give of course more chamber feeling, while instrumental rock and guitar ideas remain the main melodic focus underneath. A smooth and nicely entertaining album.
