Knoxville [CD]

Christian Fennesz, David Daniell and Tony Buck (The Necks) are three of the most recognized and respected players in experimental music from around the globe. In 2009 the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN brought the three together and encouraged them to collaborate at the festival. The aptly named Knoxville documents the results of that first collaboration. Recorded on February 7th, 2009, Fennesz (guitar and electronics), Daniell (guitar) and Buck (drums) channel their collective energies into a darkly atmospheric piece of music that ebbs and flows with remarkable cohesion.Minimalist drum passages scatter over the top of textured layers of guitar and subsumed melodic sequences, eventually giving way to warm beds of evolving, tactile drones. Sonic rain showers roll into full-blown thunderstorms of effected guitar and pounding drums only to yield a field of shattered electronic and percussive debris. The three retain a remarkable sense of unity for never having played together (aside from a brief soundcheck) while allowing plenty of room for each to express his individual personality.