(2020) Sonar with David Torn - Tranceportation vol. 2


Review:
Swiss art rock/minimalist band Sonar have been collaborating with American guitarist/live looper David Torn since their album Vortex (2018). After that they documented live performance together with Live at Moods (2018), and Torn also played a prominent role in Sonar leader Stephan Thelen‘s Fractal Guitar (2019). Torn had come to the Vortex sessions primarily as producer. But his guest playing slots were so exciting for both him and the band that he was added as fifth member throughout. That music had been composed for a quartet, with Torn spontaneously reacting to the other parts. The Tranceportation music was composed with Torn in mind from the beginning, so his role is more integral. A marathon five-day recording session yielded over 80 minutes worth of music: the decision was made to release it in two parts. 2019’s Tranceportation (Volume 1) was Act 1 of fruitful recording session that produced enough music for two albums, and Act 2 — Tranceportation (Volume 2) — was held back for the following year. ”Triskaidekaphilia” begins the second album more deliberately, its rhythmic patterns underscored by Torn’s soundscapes. It eventually erupts into a Torn solo, before settling back down to pattern. The title tune—which admittedly stretches the term “tune” a bit—has an expansive groove with Torn’s wild interjections for spice. “Slowburn” is unlikely to be confused with the Peter Gabriel song with the same title, but it shares the same deliberate pace. Torn’s solos are lyrical targets, focusing the listener’s attention. Closer “Cloud Chamber” is not as spacey as the title implies, but it is another moderate tempo groove. It prompts atmospheric textures, concluding the album, and the pair. Could this duo of albums have been released as a single CD? Technically, yes—or at least close—since their play time totals just over 80 minutes, the current limit for a CD’s run time. Vortex was just over 56 minutes long. Both Tranceportation volumes clock in at around 40 minutes (roughly an LP’s play time), so they are more compact. But they were programmed effectively as two independent installments, and work very well that way. While there is nothing preventing listeners from playing them back to back, each installment really does make an independent statement. There was a special energy to the initial meeting between Sonar and Torn, but these recordings show how the relationship has matured.





Tracklist:
01 - Triskaidekaphilia
02 - Tranceportation
03 - Slowburn
04 - Cloud Chamber


Media Report:
Genre: prog-rock
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits