***Phoenix is where Twenty One Eight Two Recording Company are from, but it isn't where they are at. The scene is essential to nothing, but that doesn't mean the musicians here aren't essential. Music attempts to appeal to as large an audience as possible, but composition attempts to engage the listener in something different. Enter SUNN TRIO. A punk trio that is influenced by Middle Eastern psych, free jazz, and improvisation. While not recorded in a traditional studio, these recordings represent the first studio-produced sounds from this group. The group is built around JOEL ROBINSON and has had as many as eight-to-ten members in recordings and live performances, but more recently has been focused on a trio that composes music that challenges every notion of what rock, punk, or psych can be; however, at the same time, the music is crafted with improvisational focus and middle eastern influence that should be the basis for this generation's new music. Robinson makes his melody maker sound like an oud, rabab, and even at times a gamelan when he isn't using these instruments to generate the lead lines to the compositions. The music has an import that shows a deference to eastern music, while expressing a freedom that isn't present in any modern music.