Customer Reviews

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5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the early '90s, Tom Verlaine surprised fans of his edgy guitar work with new-wavers Television by releasing a collection of brooding instrumentals. Titled Warm and Cool, the album revealed the spacey, cinematic side of his muse, and introduced the New Yorker to a new audience. Now, some 14 years later, Verlaine has returned to this format with around, a collection of 16 instrumentals featuring his twangy and super-clean electric guitar. These include solo meditations, grooves accompanied by sparse bass and drums, and ambient soundscapes constructed from layers of electronically processed guitar. Verlaine's sonic palette extends from soukos to film-noir jazz to sci-fi effects-disparate elements he sometimes weaves into a single song. His music has an underlying psychedelic current that recalls the late-'60s modal jazz of tenor saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders, as well as the slowly uncoiling energy of Indian ragas. Quirky, subtle, and refreshingly original.

This album has a lot in common with "Warm and Cool", Verlaine's previous instrumental album. The backing seems familiar, and the tunes themselves never seem to start or stop. It has the sound of a film soundtrack, little slices-of-life. The sound is mostly moody and melancholy.
The guitar work, though is very different. "Warm and Cool" featured a deep-throated, Duane-Eddy-like sound, whereas this album is much more varied. You can still hear some of his trademark licks, but he is really pulling out all the stops on this one.
Verlaine has been busy working on his craft. If his reputation as a soloist hasn't been established already, this should do the trick.

I can't understand why Gary has wasted his time knocking the two recent Verlaine albums in such an unpleasant, supposedly humorous way. It simply doesn't give an objective view and is nothing less than misleading. The album is full of little spine-tingling delights, with that inimitable guitar style that is Verlaine's, carrying on from where 'Warm and Cool' left off, only broadening the spectrum. My only niggle is that some of the songs could have been longer and a little more developed.

solid instrumental cd from one of the greatest guitarists ever and most influential musicians of our time.

After doing 'other things' not necessarily associated with music on his latest album, Tom decides it's time to get 'around'. I would have prefered 'in your face', but when do I ever get what I want?

This companion album's virtue is it does not have that old Hammer Horror, 'Lloyd Cole Has Risen From The Grave'. That is, vocals. For which it gets an automatic star. Tom's previous instrumental album 'Warm and Cool' contained a track called 'Saucer Crash'. Here we get the follow up, 'Meteor Beach', which conjures up a sort of 'X marks the spot' Fifties Beach Party where young somethings come to hang out, drink bear and play some cool sounds. The trouble is, who really wants to sit around getting mellow to a lacklustre Tom Verlaine instrumental album? It's sort of surplus to requirements, isn't it?

Don't get me wrong. Tom has talent to burn. I just didn't think he was going to use a petrol tanker.