For fans of the instrumental post-rock proffered by groups like Rachel's, Balmorhea, and Clogs, Redhooker's debut full-length will quickly become a favorite. On Vespers, this group-- led by former Antony and the Johnsons guitarist, and current member of Slow Six, Stephen Griesgraber-- makes it way through a collection of stately, handsome pieces. Greisgraber is also Redhooker's writer, but his songs don't focus on his guitar playing (excepting one Clogs-like turn in "Friction", with his winding arpeggio driving the track). Instead, he's content to hover in the background on tracks like the contemplative "Standing Still" or the swelling "Trip And Fall", ceding the spotlight to the trio of strings players and bass clarinetist in the group. For four of its six tracks (including the patiently haunting "Bedside"), Vespers sticks to this script, offering tasteful melodic motifs for the players to encircle and play off of for five to six minutes. It's enjoyable music, even if it may come off as somewhat unoriginal. If you're not a diehard fan of the music proffered by aforementioned groups, then what Redhooker does here, though they do it well, might not be something you absolutely need to hear.
That said, both skeptics and converts should be interested in checking out the album's two longest tracks, "Presence and Reflection" and "Black Light Poster Child"-- at 27 minutes total, the comprise over half of Vespers' running time. In an interview for online Glasgow zine Earz Mag, Greisgraber described their inspiration: "For years I had been interested in the idea of improvising with a small ensemble, capturing the live sounds of that ensemble, and replaying them so that the improvisers would not only be reacting to each other in real time, but also responding to what may have been played minutes before." Through the use of Max/MSP software, Greisgraber was able to realize that idea's potential. Whether it's the freedom of not having to follow sheet music, or just a happy confluence of luck and skill, these tracks find Redhooker discovering sounds from their instruments they might otherwise not have discovered, and opening up new vistas as a result.
The interplay between the players is both careful and curious, each seemingly trying to gently push the others along while not straying too far from what's come before. Coupled with the "feedback loop" of what they've already played emerging in the background, the end results of these two explorations are shifting, unsettling near-ambient drones that still manage to engage. On "Presence", the improvisations gives way at a pre-planned point to a more structured movement, and the shift is jarring in the best possible way. There's no such change in "Black Light", but the track's gradual construction of its haunting wall of sound is no less intriguing for such an absence. In light of these explorations, returning to the more composed confines of the other tracks on this record is almost a disappointment. Vespers as a whole is a fine album, especially for a debut. But though the group proves themselves to be excellent players, they seem to truly rise to the occasion when they're on unfamiliar ground, which is something I hope they explore further on future records.
