jeru

Mouse On The Keys tone back the energy, yet a dark asceticism roils throughout the album, a very minimal approach this time around, but not lacking in technicality, a trancelike surreal sense of rhythm and melody carry the listener through the album. One Last Time and Fail Better are incredible pieces, where One Last Time sways in moody polytime, Fail Better cascades through its absurd polyrhythmic subdivisions to keep the listener guessing, bringing up the energy toward the end, but subtly so, not lacking in inertia, but yet carefully micromanaging each detail as the subdivisions grow in permutations.

The self titled track, however, sees a more immediately familiar sound of piano with some prepared samples and cello… It is more reminiscent of modern classical rather than jazz-fusion, even with the guitar harmonics and plucking; yet with The Dawn it has an arpeggiation that entrances, and the drummer keeps time so particularly, adding a hihat variation or a steady bass drum pattern here and there, where a piano melody rings out.

This particular brand of minimalism is more like guided meditation as opposed to the high energies of previous works, and there seems to be an improvisational element too. A gorgeous minimalist approach to layering comes forth on these tracks, adding phrasing changes that build coyly, and it’s surprising to hear them in such a minimal balance, yet not that surprising considering their approach and attention to detail on previous works.