Sworn Eyes

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Departing from the illbient/dub vein which he has mined so successfully under the monicker Him on solo albums and various compilations over the last few years, percussionist Doug Scharin teams up with several post-rock stalwarts from Chicago to produce five fascinating cuts. The opening twenty-minute "A Verdict of Science" recalls the spirit of Tortoise's classic opener "Djed" from their seminal Millions Now Living Will Never Die both in length and sensibility, shifting shapes and seamlessly combining electronics and acoustic instruments. A further link between the two albums is the presence of the distinctive lines of bassist Bundy K. Brown on both. What pushes this CD beyond mere Tortoise-envy, however, is the remarkable percussive imaginativeness of Scharin, and the teasing cornet of Rob Mazurek on four of the five cuts. With the addition of violinist Julie Liu, "Of the Periphery" becomes a real centrepiece, softly propelled by Scharin's tabla and with Mazurek and guitarist Jeff Parker alternating smooth licks. The album may just be entirely improvised, but is so tightly interwoven that it never even comes close to losing its melodic and rhythmic bearings. Inspired from start to finish.