The Necks
Open
Ambient jazz
Australian experimental jazz trio The Necks returns with its 19th full length album Open, a one-song improvised LP.
At 68 minutes, the album can feel stagnant at times, but overall the band manages to captivate listeners throughout, an impressive feat for such ambient and atmospheric music.
Beginning instrumentally sparse, the music steadily builds. The first 15 minutes of Open lack much vision or structure. Ominous keyboards arpeggiate and bells ring out for the first five minutes without much direction.
The percussion takes a back seat as the band focuses on keyboards and bass, with a few hi-hat hits sprinkled in every now and then. The album takes off when the piano assumes a heavy role in the mix.
From there, the band continues to build momentum until a crescendo at around the 45 minute mark. Here the band is at its best, with each member fully involved.
Chris Abrahams mesmerizes with his incredibly fast piano playing, while Tony Buck and Lloyd Swanton keep rhythm on the drums and bass respectively.
Then, the band transitions into a dark and spacious finale, led by Buck’s drumming. In the last 20 minutes, he uses every part of his drum set to his advantage.
One minute he’s steadily rolling his snare, the next he’s blitzing his crash cymbal. The final few minutes feel much like the first few, as the instrumentation is thin.
Open’s sparse start lacks accessibility for the average listener. But once the band begins to find its rhythm and gain momentum, it creates an album of rewarding and triumphant jazz.
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