Label: Otherly Love Records, 2025
Personnel - Mary Halvorson: guitar; Liberty Ellman: guitar; Nick Dunston: bass, electronics; Ches Smith: drums, electronics, vibes.
Ches Smith, a tremendously gifted drummer and composer who’s unafraid to embrace the ingenious intricacies of postmodern music, leads a fantastic new quartet featuring two exceptionally creative guitarists—Mary Halvorson and Liberty Ellman—and the sturdy bassist Nick Dunston. Clone Row, the follow-up to Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic, 2024), opens up a new level of musical experience, pulling us into hip sonic realms tied to contemporary hybridity.
The album starts by pushing boundaries in all different directions with “Ready Beat”, an electrifying piece that incorporates elements of alternative electronic music, rock-infused swagger, and a motorik-like rhythmic drive. The two guitarists—whether working with the same ideas or taking alternative paths of their own—sound almost too good to be true, delivering tightly coordinated passages and adventurous improvised segments. “Abrade With Me” emerges with guitar shredding and bilateral harmonic currents, supported by agile bass lines and syncopated drum kit attacks. The quartet’s synergistic impact gives rise to countermovements and undercurrents that merge progressive rock, EDM, and even hip-hop aesthetics.
“Clone Row”, composed using a twelve-tone row and contrapuntal methods, glows with an entrancing beat and nu breaks, eventually settling into a vamping 12-beat cycle. Meanwhile, “Heart Breakthrough” features parallel guitar-vibraphone activity, drum machine, ringing tones, and deft guitar runs. Its layered sonic world channels an African sensibility through the inclusion of vibes, all surrounded by a cloud of tasteful electronics.
“Play Bell (For Nick)”, a rock number in five with a zany intro, is similarly rich in electronics, while “Sustained Nightmare” has a few forces pulling it apart, with shifting arpeggiated chords set against a tardy flow of bass notes. This creates an intelligent soundscape of experimental art-rock fused with groovy trip-hop ambiance.
Something truly clicks between these four musicians - their advanced musicality, precision, and interplay are fundamental to the album’s success. Unleashing greatness in his drumming style, Smith crafts off-kilter yet locked-in grooves that serve as the propulsive engines of his compositions. His music grows increasingly adventurous and inventive, even when anchored in simplicity. Clone Row is a gem of modern creative music.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Ready Beat ► 02 - Abrade With Me ► 05 - Heart Breakthrough ► 06 - Sustained Nightmare