Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Splint! - Moro

Splint!
Moro
(03.2007, Lampse)
8.0/10

Tangling a new highlight in the surprisingly sprawling arena of experimental Norwegian free jazz, Splint! (so many exclamatory punctuations hanging off band titles nowadays. Its as trendy as having 'black' or 'wolf' in your band name.) actually carry some defined boundaries to their improvisational charm and are all the better for it. Utilizing a heavy dose of electronic meddling and electro-acoustics, Moro is simply an audio treat for the exploratory music fan. Drawing comparisons (as well as former members and contributors) to the juggernauts of Scandinavian free jazz, Supersilent, Spint! ruminate over similar peaks and valleys under the former's towering shadow, but, in light of Supersilent's recent release of 8, have beat the group at their own game with Moro. The band is at its best when drummer Jarle Vespestad is propelling them forward, but they still manage some entrancing numbers that operate at much slower, more contemplative speeds. Interesting as these tracks are, a string of slower tempos during the middle of Moro strain the 'fun' that the Norwegian album title translates to. Though not without its faults, Moro is a exciting debut and welcome addition to a burgeoning scene.

-Mr. Thistle

Splint! - Sintjom excerpt

No comments: