Guitarist
Nels Cline has generated a high profile since becoming a member of
Wilco, but it’s his solo work that defines him -- he can always be counted upon to thwart expectations.
Initiate is the fourth album by the
Nels Cline Singers, a power trio with
Devin Hoff on contra and electric bass, and
Scott Amendola on drums, percussion, and electronics.
Initiate is a double-disc recorded by producer David Breskin and engineer
Ron Saint Germain. The first disc is a studio recording, the latter was cut live in San Francisco in 2009. Disc one's second track, “Floored,” kicks off with
Amendola's drum kit followed by an exploratory fusion funk groove with
Cline moving angularly around
Hoff’s electric bass (think
Tony Williams’ Lifetime). “Divining” is a hallucinatory track that commences acoustically with mbiras and double bass before
Cline's acoustic enters. It gradually mutates texturally and dynamically to become an open-ended electric jazz-cum-world music orgy, as wordless vocals and layers of percussion move it toward a far freakier geography -- it's a more dangerous-sounding exploration of terrain that
Pat Metheny is familiar with. “Grow Closer” mutates around various Latin tropes and rhythmic patterns occasionally drifting into North African modes. “King Queen” explores the early
Santana band’s ability to jam around a theme with killer organ by guest
David Witham.
Cline responds aggressively and imaginatively to the band's shapeshifting, hypnotic rhythms.
Whereas disc one changes moods and directions with studied perfection, disc two enters dissonant rock and jazz terrain from the jump. “Fly Fly” begins as a swinging jazz tune that quickly evolves into a sick, twisted, guitar trio freakout that nearly lifts off. “Raze” is molten hard rock, with feedback, squall, and scree allowed nearly free rein. “Blues Too” is an homage to
Jim Hall that employs his wide harmonic sense while speaking with
Cline’s knottier, more complex melodic interests. There’s a beautifully rendered cover of
Carla Bley's “And Now the Queen” and a new reading of “Thurston County” (off 2008’s
Coward). This live disc is far more satisfying for its wide-ranging sonic expeditions and spiraling architectural drama. The disc closes with a smoking version of
Joe Zawinul's “Boogie Woogie Waltz” -- from
Weather Report's underrated
Sweetnighter LP. At over 14 minutes, it takes its time developing the tune’s spooky groove, but with electric guitar, acoustic bass, and drum kit, it goes further afield; it transcends harmonic constraints while exploiting its rhythmic barrier to the breaking point. It sounds like
Jimi Hendrix fronting
WR. Arguably,
Initiate is the most fully realized project
Cline has devoted himself to yet, and extends the musical frontiers the
Singers are capable of not only engaging, but conquering. ~ Thom Jurek