Short Reviews [Unquiet Music Ltd - 2020 - "In The Name Of... (A Prayer For Our Times)" ]

When one sees that Trey Gunn of King Crimson, Markus Reuter of Stick Men and Frederic L’Epee of Yang are involved in a release then one generally thinks it is going to be something which is way out in left field and interesting. Although in many ways this sounds like an improvised album it was brought together over a period of years, with different musicians coming into the project as it developed. Apparently, it is a concept album based on a traditional prayer but given that most of this is complex instrumental this doesn’t really come through for me. This is music as art, and band leader JP Rossi states that “The idea is to create an uncompromising sound, basically something that would not be heard anywhere else – at least as such, since we all only recycle”, and in that matter they have definitely achieved what they set out to do. Whether I want to listen to it is another matter altogether. I have a great amount of respect for the musicians involved in this project, and have positively reviewed Trey and Markus multiple times, but I just don’t get this album at all. It is all over the place, with at times repeated intricate guitar patterns, vocals at others, complex percussion, and generally all the elements I gravitate towards, but here they have been combined in a manner which to my ears is just confusing and not something I enjoyed. It is like walking over broken glass, in that if I did it enough, I am sure I would get used to it, maybe, but do I want to go through the pain? I appreciate the musicianship behind this, but there is little in the way of musicality, although there are bound to be others who enjoy this avant-garde far more than me. I’ll pass on this, thanks.