Taking up the guimbri and the mbira, bassist Joshua Abrams and drummer Chad Taylor venture into risky territory. Playing instruments that may be unfamiliar to Western ears, and playing instruments that are not their usual ones, means that these two musicians need to succeed in different ways here than with their normal bands. Mind Maintenance from Mind Maintenance thankfully does work. The Drag City release is a special one, and one of the more invigorating listens of the week.
"Glow & Glimmer" and "Entrainment" pop and sparkle with promise, the figures echoing around a rhythmic underpinning that anchors the progression. "Snap Yr Teeth" sees the duo pick up the pace considerably, with the mbira sounding like both a bass and a drum all at once. The epic "Valence" is a real highlight here, with the instruments sounding almost like they're in a duel as the repeating figure on the guimbri pushes this into a subtle frenzy. So much of Mind Maintenance involves these musicians finding out what these instruments can do, and how they can be used in the service of music that's part folk, part jazz. Nothing here is boring, that's for sure, and the push-and-pull of the players gives these some real drama at times.
Mind Maintenance from Mind Maintenance is out on Drag City on Friday.
[Photo: Lisa Alvarado]