Infinite Rain: A Brief Review Of The New Album From Lee Ranaldo / Jim Jarmusch / Marc Urselli / Balázs Pándi

Following on from their superb 2019 self-titled release, Lee Ranaldo, Jim Jarmusch, Marc Urselli, and Balázs Pándi have returned with another record of drone-y goodness. The Churning of the Ocean, out now via Trost Records, is sublime in spots, austere in others, and frequently engaging. There's spaciousness here, as well as force.

Opener "Infinite Rain" is an epic of understatement, a 17-minute ramble that attempts to convey something infinite and vast, even as the drums and percussion of Balázs Pándi accentuate the emptiness. Elsewhere, "Quivering Air" works up a mood of unease thanks to the guitar-work of both Lee Ranaldo and Jim Jarmusch, as well as the keyboard bursts from Marc Usrelli. The cut is long, and it would stand on its own apart from the rest of the record as an impressive piece of work. There's so much space here to get lost in that the moments of tension (when they occur) serve to prod a listener to not rest too much when these four are busy conjuring a mood. Closer "Threshing Fields" is even better as each player contributes something unique, whether it's a grinding chord set on the guitar, a synth-line, a bass-run, or a cymbal crash.

The Churning of the Ocean is hardly minimalist, especially considering how each piece here features something that gently jolts. Sure, things are drawn out, and there's so much emptiness between the pieces here, but that expansive approach works very well with this stuff. We could call a few of these compositions drones, but there's enough variety here to keep things engaging without being too oppressively one dimensional.

The Churning of the Ocean is out now via Trost Records.

[Photo: Trost Records]