Search - Trey Gunn :: Raw Power: Surfacings, Vol. 1

Dense rhythmic stuff

Raymond Peck | Los Altos, CA USA | 01/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A fantastic record, and for me his best. It's spent more time in my CD player than any other record I've bought in several years."

Should leftovers really sound this good?

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 07/19/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Trey Gunn: if you know the man's name, it's most likely from his work in King Crimson. His music can almost be seen as a kind of toned-down version of KC without the electronic drums, or any of the evil guitar, or the strange animal noises, or any lyrics, or.. come to think of it, this is almost nothing like Crimson after all. Trey's sound is a richly textured hybrid of world beats, exotic textures and jazz sensibility with some Eno-like atmospherics throughout. The songs here don't have melodies in the way you'd usually think. Instead the instruments dance and weave lines around each other in an ever-changing whirl of notes that still seems to make perfect sense. There's a good ambient aspect to the overall sound, not just on the slowly drifting "One Thousand Years" or the spooky "Anastasis" but all over the place. As you've probably guessed, this is a difficult sound to describe to someone who hasn't heard it. The samples here should give some clue.Raw Power isn't a conventional album like The Joy of Molybdenum (which would be a great first choice for a newcomer.. or any serious music fan for that matter), but a collection of songs that were either unreleased, hard to find or didn't quite fit on Trey's first two solo trips. Since he's very specific about song selections and arrangements for his formal albums, this project is a good opportunity to take a look at the process itself and the smatterings of extra ideas involved before the final cut. I've never once gotten the impression that he dug up some lesser tunes just to have a new disc to release. "Hard Winds" and "Indira Opening" are strong tunes in their own right, apart from the revampings they received later on. "...White Shirt" and "Hawaii 2 Oh" blend his rhythmic string-tapping with a simple tabla beat and a muted trumpet. There's also an alternate take of "Megrez," which Trey co-wrote and played on for the first Gordian Knot album. (A side note - GK is also an amazing instrumental work. If you like Trey's music you should RUN, NOT WALK to check it out.)This music is challenging enough to captivate your attention if you listen carefully, yet easy enough to provide a quiet backdrop if you just want to relax.. it's a smooth treat for the ears that never fails to please. Take a listen to The Joy of Molybdenum first, and this will be a fine place to come once you're hooked."