Moskus

The generous Danish smorgasbord served up on this 2005 CD will fill the bellies of free improvisation enthusiasts, moreover establishing that guitarist Mikkel Ring and percussionist Christian Skjodt make great music, whether simply as the duo Moskus but also in the company of several different guests that are featured. Some of them titled like chapter headings in a self-help tome, the 13 tracks may at time suggest the type of playing described as post-rock in reference to creatures such as the Tortoise in the avant-garde race. To return to the earlier more appetizing metaphor, some plates are piled high with fuzzbox guitar and slinky light-stepping electric bass, the latter particularly effective in establishing a precise mode of improvisational contact without having to get all noisy and weird about it. Not that these performances are simply mellow. Prerequisites of weirdness are surely met, such as wondering if the music is actually digesting the listener and of course the familiar bonus of questioning if playback equipment is actually working. As guests such as trombonist Peter Dahlgren enter the picture, the Moskus partners demonstrate their skill at integrating the new personalities into their project. An appealing aspect of this process for the diner, literally steam rising off fresh servings, could be described many ways but most simply as variety, always a plus in a genre where there are so many possibilities.