First Listen: The Nels Cline Singers, 'Initiate'
Nels Cline Howard Linton hide caption
Nels Cline
Howard LintonNels Cline plays guitar with Wilco.
He's created a modern version of John Coltrane's Interstellar Space with a guitar and drums.
He has an Acoustic Guitar Trio, that plays microtonal improvisations.
He's played on more than 150 records.
I can say without hesitation that this guy is a rock guitar god.
Nels Cline never ceases to amaze me. On his latest record, by a group he's dubbed The Nels Cline Singers, the man just oozes talent. Initiate -- available here until its release on April 13 -- has beauty, plenty of mystery and lovable songs. All of it is the sort of journey in sound that makes this a remarkable and memorable collection.
There are two discs to Initiate: Disc one is about an hour long, and was recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif. Disc two is a live recording from Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco, from September 2009. It's a little longer and rocks out a bit more at times. Neither are actually guitar rock records, so fans of Wilco should probably beware. The song structures don't go down the more predictable, well-traveled sonic roads.
But who needs predictable music? (There's already enough out there.) Thankfully Nels Cline, a dauntless and skillful musician, is able to take us to places other art forms can't.
By the way, there are no singers in The Nels Cline Singers.