| *** "As clear as an azure sky of deepest summer." -- Alexander 'Alex' de Large in A Clockwork Orange This apparently harmless phrase masking something altogether darker could also describe Australian trio Triosk's second full-length release The Headlight Serenade. The album's crystal clarity sounds like it's floating on air and yet there's a looming undertow that threatens to pull you under if you let it. This balance of light and dark is the key to The Headlight Serenade's heady attractions. The title was inspired by the transitory play of headlights as they pass across objects in the night, creating moments frozen in time. Each piece on the album also captures a glimpse of a particular moment, memory or feeling, be it a past-life romance or the sensation of lying in a boat, looking at the stars. On Triosk's first release, 2004's Moment Returns, the band improvised over pre-recorded loops. On The Headlight Serenade they take the concept a step further, often basing pieces on recordings of their own improvised performances. They morph musical forms usually associated with jazz and present them in entirely new ways. "We spent a lot longer in the studio for The Headlight Serenade," explains drummer Laurence Pike, "And certainly our intent was to enhance the recorded sound of the band and explore other ways for electronics to be a part of the music, rather than just static layers." Triosk's inventiveness and enthusiasm for rethinking musical boundaries make The Headlight Serenade a striking, living work. Rarely is such cerebral music so engaging. 30-second MP3 excerpts: Visions IV
Lost Broadcast
Lost Reprise
Intensives Leben
Lazyboat
Not To Hurt You
Headlights
One, Twenty-Four
Vostok
Moment Returns
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