Shrunken Elvis

ロンドン東部出身のペダルスティール奏者Spencer Cullum、ナッシュビルのDIYシーンで活躍するショーン・トンプソン、本人名義でスピリチュアル・ジャズ、アンビエント、ポスト・ロックを融合したサウンドを作り出すリッチ・ルースによるトリオ。カラムのソロアルバムのツアーで意気投合した3者は納屋のスタジオでヒーターを囲みながらレコーディング。旅の中で育まれた即興性と信頼関係がそのまま刻まれています。コズミッシェ、ジャズ、エレクトロニカ、アンビエントの伝統に根ざしながらも、アリス・コルトレーン、ミヒャエル・ローター、パット・メセニー、KLFといったアーティストから影響を受け、またECMのカバーや黒澤明の映画などのビジュアル面からもインスピレーションを得ている。

Shrunken Elvis are Spencer Cullum, Sean Thompson, and Rich Ruth, a trio of Nashville musicians who boast some mainstream credits but live more comfortably on the citys experimental fringe. The music they make together is modern and impressionistic, taking elements from jazz fusion, ambient, post-rock, and even hints of country, which are then filtered and freshened through their combined instincts. What comes out is a sort of cosmopolitan future jazz, a sleek soundtrack for road-tripping the astral plane. Guitars of every texture weave in and out of the digital froth, joining together in harmony, then sprinting out on their own for a while. The playing is tasteful, occasionally scintillating, but unified by a common aesthetic that nods to the liminal vibes of meditation music and classic new age. This is complemented by a hi-fi optimism that evokes the fulcrum where 70s studio warmth fractured into glassy 80s technology. Of the three players, only Ruths wild solo work comes close to the Shrunken Elvis style -- Cullums eclectic releases are more decidedly retro with strong U.K. folk notes (hes British), and Thompsons work is more organically aligned to country and indie rock. Together, though, they find a complementary groove, far from commercial prospects but joyous in its synchronicity. The nine tracks have an innate energy and a satisfying balance of structure and improvisation, playing like unique moments that run their course. Shrunken Elvis are an unexpected, but welcome union whose debut is a career highlight for each of the groups members. ~ Timothy Monger