Embers

They Say...

Review by François Couture, All Music Guide

For their third full-length release, the Unstable Ensemble present a collection of live recordings from their June 2003 tour. The music is as spacious and quiet as on The Liturgy of Ghosts, but it features a stronger collective focus, which makes it slightly less demanding on the listener. The lineup this time consists of saxophonist Marty Belcher, guitarist Jason Bivins, percussionists Ian Davis (except for one short track) and Matt Griffin, and Eric Weddle at the mixing board and cassette recorder. Half of the tracks, representing three-quarters of the album, come from a concert in Easthampton, MA, and provide the most fulfilling material. The opening piece, "Everything Vibrates," sets the bar high: sparse and intense, very AMM-like, it explores a very wide range of dynamics and sounds in the course of its 19 minutes, with especially acute contributions from both drummers. "Sphere" is the other highlight, with Weddle's no-input mixing board sweating sine waves in the background and Bivins' electric guitar at times sounding barely tamed and restrained. Recorded at Casa del Popolo in Montreal, "Better Up North" sounds almost trashy in comparison. The piece is short and introduces some diversity in the track list, but the rough sound quality makes it difficult to appreciate. Embers as a whole lacks a bit in the sound department: the mix lacks some depth and warmth. In an attempt to capture the group from a "live room" perspective, the recording actually makes it harder for the listener to feel involved in the music.