Label: RareNoise, 2020

Personnel - Bobby Previte: drums; Jamie Saft: Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, MiniMoog; Nels Cline: electric guitar, effects.

The sensational trio of drummer Bobby Previte, keyboardist Jamie Saft, and guitarist Nels Cline fleshes out a collection of 10 spontaneous pieces with conspicuous evocations from the past and many hills and valleys to be explored. Music From the Early 21st Century displays a large number of influences and genres, and you can find the trio experimenting with viscous ambient soundscapes, venturing through alternative hard-rock fare, and creating energetic jazz-rock fusions with unfettered ease.

“Photobomb” starts with guitar noise, muscular drumming, and a spectacular Hammond sound that conjures up the powerful vibes of Deep Purple’s 1972 hit “Highway Star”. This brash rock influence is also found on “Occession”, the longest track on the album at 14 minutes, and there, Cline’s experimental sounds are extended to bright harmonics, pitch-shifting Hendrix-like vibratos, and densely noise freakouts á-la Sonic Youth. This particular tune is slightly sinister in mood, for which Saft's dark drones and Previte's cascading tom-tom work contribute significantly.

While listening to “Paywall”, a darker version of “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors popped up in my head. This early allusion evolves into the heavier architecture of The Who, but with a raucous organ building its thick walls. It ends with a frantic swinging incursion. “Parkour” seems a continuation of the previous tune, but goes from a noir ambient rock to a controlled noise splash. Previte’s energetic drive is on display. Not just here, but also on the krautrock-tinged “Machine Learning”, an amalgamation of shock-oriented sounds that work amazingly well, and also on “Flash Mob”, a danceable Marilyn Manson-like metal effort with glitchy electronica.

Also percussively rich, “The Extreme Present” is another alternative sonic ride that gradually becomes infected with a blues-soaked energy. If Cline ploughs heavier in his abrasive licks here, then he designs with more controlled detail on “The New Weird”, a psychedelic blues infused with a mix of single-note phrases, octave technique, and perfectly contoured rhythmic shapes. Regardless the beauty of it, it was Saft who delighted me the most through a mesmerizing organ intro shaped with a blend of corporeal and spiritual charismas. That happens way before everything crashes into a last-minute noisy explosion.

While “Totes” emphasizes tone and atmosphere within a loose structure, “Woke” combines the circularity of a typical rock harmonic progression with snare rattles and a fine electronic touch.

The group utilizes instrumentation in powerful ways. You just have to sit back and wait to be petrified by their sounds and energy.