Moon Relay - IMI

If you thought the cover symbols of the fourth Led Zeppelin album were enigmatic, they pale beside the six instrumental tracks of ‘IMI’, whose least inscrutable title is ‘F-< : : : :’ Yet in a way this tactic frees the imagination of both musician and listener; call a piece of music anything recognisable (e.g. David Bowie’s ‘Warszawa’) and you’re automatically prompted to envision certain pictures. This of course may sometimes be desired, but evidently not by Moon Relay (multi-instrumentalists Daniel Meyer Grønvold and Håvard Volden, bassist Ola Høyer and drummer Christian Næss.) For the sake of clarity and the Pennyblackmusic webmaster’s sanity, I’ll, however, give each track a number. ‘One’ is not only among the album’s best, the use of repetition and the fine judgement of when to switch from one groove to another just as the repetition verges on overdone proves typical, as is the framing of guitars, bass and drums by textual synths and sound effects. Commencing with a disco-style electronic thump and skittering hi-hat, shards of guitar introduce the first hint of rock before stirring guitar in the manner of early Sonic Youth is added to the mix along with random electronic bleeps. The traditional drums, at first as disciplined as the drum machine, grow looser and bolder even as the essential relentlessness of this piece grips your attention. It’s a cliché to call such an effect hypnotic, but perhaps the key thing about hypnosis is that, having succumbed, you’re unaware of it. ‘Two’ is propelled by brisk crashing snare and a guitar line that will fit right in if the car chase scene of ‘Bullitt’ is ever reshot. But a characteristic length of just over seven minutes (only ‘Three’, a short but atmospheric respite blending sampled choral voices and woozy synth breaks this pattern) allows the time and space for a more restrained guitar melody to emerge and a brief interlude of isolated piano notes, before the interplay of the whole band brings proceedings to a strong close. Seguing from ‘Three’, ‘Four’ begins as a lighter, jazzier piece, where 'delicate ride cymbal flourishes intersperse a lovely, limpid keyboard. But distorted guitars and an intensifying rhythm take it by the close to the feel of something like a 1970s Can jam with Ron Asheton guesting. Næss’ Stephen Morris-like ability to combine drums with electronic percussion is best demonstrated in the tricky rhythms of ‘Five’. Yet again an initial mood, created here by harsh abstract guitar, yields to another, flowing from rich synth notes, and then back again to how it began. ‘Six’ has something of a return to the feel of ‘One’, with a driven rhythm and a simple but appealing guitar motif that returns in the last part after taking in a sprinkling of electronica and a higher guitar line en route; it feels like Hank Marvin trying to find his place in a futuristic landscape, a future that is actually now. The repetition in Moon Relay’s music isn’t just a superficial impression. It’s at the core of what they do. Yet there is generally still enough by way of melodic fragments, genre mixing and rhythmic shifts to maintain interest. Given that this is about the time when Albums of the Year start to be considered, ‘IMI’ has at least made one list.