It’s time to pop down a doomy, dark-jazz rabbit-hole courtesy of German expressionists Taumel. This is the second part of their Traum series and follows on, in pretty much every sense from first part ‘There Is No Time To Run Away From Here’ (reviewed previously). At first, I thought I had been sent the same album but on closer inspection realised that the artwork differs with static wavey lines running horizontally across the cover compared to the last album’s vertical ones. The tracks also follow on namely from number 6, where the last album left off, to 10 and are comprised of the album title divided up between them. This is instrumental and again takes on a very soundtrack orientated listening experience. Now classed as a quartet the instrumentation is at times minimal and at others expansive and includes electric guitar, drums, piano / Rhodes keyboard along with the brassy inclusion of trumpet and flugelhorn.
So again, being an unlikely jazz aficionado, it’s time to settle down for a 38-minute journey that starts off with the deep, droning throb of ‘Now’ giving that vibe along with guitar plucking and Floydian keys that we are drifting listlessly through space. Yep, it’s a meandering slow start, percussion including the clack on wood sound noted at last album gradually joining in along with some subtle warped trumpet sounds. ‘We Stay’ furthers the exploration in a moody way which goes nowhere particularly fast. It would be easy for detractors of the style to call this muzak although a sense of the discordant gradually builds via stabbed notes and skewed melody so it would prove uncomfortable to be trapped in an elevator with it. Patience is certainly necessary here but the sparseness of the beginning is gradually built upon becoming more hectic and disorientating. Bringing it all down again a trip-hoppy lounge sensibility is found in ‘Forever’ but unfortunately, I found it languid and pretentious music designed for coffee shop beatniks and the only place it moves me to is sleep. Did I order a Café Del Mar album?
‘Lost In Space’ is the longest sprawling movement, with some smoky guitar licks but boy does it drag in a listless fashion at first before presenting with a slight essence of danger (Will Robinson) as space is invaded by the brass mariachi band which curiously warbles away in the vacuum of these outer limits. Final part ‘’Together’ sees our cosmonauts reunited and in a somewhat buoyant mood as they tie all the loose ends together. Or have they and will this series continue as space is undeniably deep (man).
(6/10 Pete Woods)
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