Gavin Harrison & Antoine Fafard: Perpetual Mutations

Following their first release Chemical Reactions, drummer Gavin Harrison and bassist Antoine Fafard are back together for round two with Perpetual Mutations. The eclectic mix of instruments and guests makes for a very unique listen. If you don’t know these two musicians, Harrison has played with Porcupine Tree, The Pineapple Thief, and King Crimson as well as having several instructional DVDs. Fafard has collaborated with the likes of Jerry Goodman, Gary Husband, and Simon Phillips, impressive resumes!

The concept for Perpetual Mutations was to pursue original sonic textures and avoid repeating the same orchestrations that were on their first release. “Dark Wind� opens the album, and features trombone and saxophone. Farard not only plays bass, but also classical guitar on a number of tracks. The Cello (Joasla Cleslak/Isodora Filipovic) featured in “Deadpan Euphoria� & “Pentalogic Structure� has that haunting quality I’ve always loved. Marimba & Vibraphone (Reinaldo Ocando) add color and texture to “Viral Information 101�, and for me the violin (Ally Storch) taking lead makes this one a favorite, and it works so well with the classical guitar. “Quiescent II� has Fafard stepping out a bit more with his bass, and the Rhodes (Pier Luigi Salami) is always welcome in my book, such a great sounding instrument. “Solus Souls II� feels like something you’d hear in a jazz club, a simple three piece configuration of piano, bass, and drums, very well done. Salami returns on “Spontaneous Plan� and “Safety Meeting�, this time on piano, as the Trumpets and Trombones of Dale Devoe take lead. Each song has a unique feel and that is due to all the guest artists.

The strength of this album is the varied instrumentation and all the additional percussion used throughout. I found myself paying close attention to the percussion, I love the marimba & vibraphone that are used on a few tracks, but throughout the album you will discover how much the percussion adds to the tracks. Each song has a unique sound based on the combinations of instruments used. The arrangements are tight, yet they breathe and flow effortlessly. This is a unique listen that I feel will offer something new with every listen. The album is due to be released on July 26th 2024, and if you are looking for something different, give this one a shot.

Track List:
1. Dark Wind
2. Deadpan Euphoria
3. Viral Information 101
4. Objective Reality
5. Quiescent II
6. Spontaneous Plan
7. Pentalogic Structure
8. Solus Souls II
9. Safety Meeting

Added: July 7th 2024
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Artist Website
Hits: 1036
Language: english

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