Glenn Brown & Intergalactic Spiral: 001

With a name like Intergalactic Spiral you know it's going to be a journey into [sonic] space. Think Stomu Yamashta's GO project, featuring a little King Crimson and some out there Miles Davis. The drums, woodwinds, guitars, fluid bass and keyboards all improvise but leave a lot of open space in the music. Glenn runs GBP Studios in East Lansing, Michigan, which features the Neve 8068 console from Muscle Shoals. On some tracks here he plays the legendary Buchla CM100 modular synthesizer. He also happens to be an acoustician and a hell of a nice guy. He says, "Each song was completely improvised on the spot, with no preconceived notions. The only direction came in the form of small slips of paper, randomly pulled from a vase by each member before each song, containing a unique 'modifier' that would influence the musician's behavior during the take." Shades of [Brian Eno's] Oblique Strategies? This record reminds me of sitting in the studio watching some great musicians hit their stride improvising together. Perhaps there's not much higher praise than that? I'm digging it. <www.big-o-records.com, www.gbp-studio-acoustics.com> -LC