Nels Cline

In "Coward," guitarist Nels Cline offers a beast of a different set of colors, presenting an album of solo overdubs with an extraordinarily broad stylistic palette and a decidedly acoustic bent, to form a whole whose daring never eclipses form. For nearly 25 years, Nels has been contemplating a solo-overdub project, and as a result, several of the offerings on Coward are older compositions. The album buzzes and pulses with tension but relatively few moments involve anything approaching high volume, and these soon fade back to the luminously introspective orchestrations so abundant throughout. "Coward" blends improvisation and composition on a huge and constantly changing timbral palette, and Nels pushes the boundaries of his work even further.

Cryptogramophone Records
2009 (CD)

Tracks: Epiphyllum / Prayer Wheel / Thurston County / The Androgyne / Rod Poole's Gradual Ascent to Heaven / The Divine Homegirl / X Change(s) / The Nomad's Home / Onan Suite / I. Amniotica / II. Lord & Lady / III. Dreams in the Mirror / IV. Interruption / V. The Seedcaster / VI. The Liberator / Cymbidium

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