Silverwater

Audio Mixer: Tim Whitten.
Recording information: Electric Avenue, Camperdown, NSW.
By now, the Necks have become the kings of sticking to a modus operandi while renewing it with every album. Paradoxical? Maybe, and that's what makes the Australian trio so endearing...and enduring. Silverwater is, once again, a single hourlong piece, but within that scope, it goes through multiple changes. Unlike a regular Necks piece that would slowly build up from the smallest musical tidbit (a drum pattern or a two-note ostinato) to an unsuspected climax, "Silverwater" constantly stops, shifts gears, and alters its course. Themes and instruments come in and out, and the drive of the piece ebbs and flows. The instrumentation is wider than usual, as this is a multi-tracked studio construct, not live-in-the-studio at all. There's lots of percussion early on, occasional guitars, organ aplenty, and both double bass and electric bass, it seems (the package reveals nothing in terms of musician credits, leaving you guessing). Is it different? Yes. Does it work out? Yes, as a trippy musical journey through a sequence of moods carefully selected to keep you off balance -- and yet, the duration/repetition aspect of the music remains a core element. Longtime fans of the Necks will be surprised (positively so, one might think, especially since Townsville, the group's previous effort, sounded half-hearted). And newcomers would be well advised to start here, if only because the track, being more eventful and varied, is less of a demanding listen than Aether, Drive By, or Townsville. ~ François Couture