#greg fox

“Etel” opens on Fox’s double time snares as the guitars circle searching for a common thread. Beneath that Gibbs plays rich and smooth, a steady anchor for the explorations. The guitars fill the space between building slowly. The contrast with the drums’ tempo, a rein on a runaway horse. When the track approaches the halfway point, the rhythm section loosens, freeing the guitars to ascend into swathes of ecstatic atmospherics. Not precisely chaotic, more a determined feeling out, a testing the possibilities. What follows is a series of nuanced explorations of texture, mood, and tone. Body Meπa are experts at both concision and expansion. At 85 seconds the interlude “Welcome” passes in a swirl of cymbals and pensive electricity before segueing into the slow burn psyche influenced “Deborah” with its distorted guitar blistering over a bluesy rhythm which stutters along beneath. It’s the most overtly “rock” piece here but as it seems to collapse into itself, it feels like the despair of loss. The 16 minute plus “Scout” showcases the quartet’s ability to locate and embody essential truths. With the musicality of Fox’s drumming and the heft of Gibbs’ bass to the fore, McMurray and Frere-Jones patiently intensify their interplay. You feel the storm approach and it breaks upon you as emotional maelstrom and cathartic release, splendid in its power and cauterizing in its effect. An antidote for the times.