The Necks live at WFMU (MP3)

In honor of the return of this Australian trio to New York, here's the full MP3 of their transcendent performance from my radio show back almost exactly one year ago (why do they keep leaving the warmth of the southern hemisphere?). For the uninitiated, the Necks hail fron Sydney, and since 1987 have utilized the piano/bass/drums format in a singular, unorthodox fashion that has left them uncategorizable, yet critically-acclaimed and in high demand from jazz, ambient, and avant-rock festivals. The trio of Chris Abrahams (piano) Tony Buck (drums, percussion) and Lloyd Swanton (stand-up bass) have performed their sprawling, dense, and tranced-out pieces in art spaces, clubs, the Sydney Opera House, and last week at Issue Project Room (where I caught the first night of a two-night stand). Issue's recording of night #1 set #2 has also been uploaded to the Free Music Archive, and is stunning; at one point it was somewhat like witnessing and hearing the ocean at work. Gentle, seashell-like percussion mixing in with sheets of other acoustic strings and keys. New Age? Someone mentioned that before the set, not sure what to expect, and in a sense there is a certain harnessing of organic, natural elements. Nature itself does seem to sit in with these guys. Overtones emerge as repetitions pick up ever-so-slowly (a normal "piece" can take an hour or more), individuals listening can hone in on certain phrases that maybe others don't concentrate on, the template the Necks present is precise, but open, and always hypnotic as any Spacemen 3 or Kompakt release. Their 2009 visit to WFMU, engineered by Irene Trudel, was a huge honor for me; getting to watch up close as the ideas rolled out and gather mass. Hope you enjoy it as well. Special thanks to Irene and Regina Greene.

Comments

[scott]

well done. thanks for that.

[Eric]

Thanks for posting this! I, too, was there that night at the Issue Project Room. It was surprisingly intense. They had a way of building on each other, adding layer after layer of sound, until you felt your bones shaking and the room ready to burst. Then something would give way – a bass line or drumbeat would drop out – and suddenly you were floating on air.