NELS CLINE SINGERS: Draw Breath

Maybe some of you are unaware that Rolling Stone magazine has recently appointed Nels as a "guitar god," and I'd say I have to agree. There aren't too many other players out there at the moment that I could hold with such high respect. The only others that immediately come to mind are Allan Holdsworth, Marc Ribot, and Marc Ducret, who's best known playing with Tim Berne. Those are all players in my mind who have a very distinct voice and amazing control over the instrument.

That said, Nels Cline has come a long way since the 90's in the LA experimental music scene, now quite a mighty force among followers of progressive-minded guitarists like David Torn, Marc Ribot, Derek Bailey, James "Blood" Ulmer or Marc Ducret, just to name a few. It obviously hasn't been a bad thing that he's also worked with some pretty well-known names, like Tim Berne, Wilco, Charlie Haden, Vinny Golia, Thurston Moore,

Cline also has an enormous discography already. He's probably leads or appears on average, 10 albums per year or more His recent Andrew Hill tribute New Monestary came out in September of last year, Downpour with Andrea Parkins and Tom Rainey hit the street in April, Wilco's Sky Blue Sky was released in May, and just six weeks later, we get Draw Breath by his Nels Cline Singers.

Now, let's get another thing crystal clear. The "Nels Cline Singers" are not singers at all, they are a trio led by Nels + Devin Hoff (contra bass, bowed and plucked) + Scott Amendola (drums, percussion, electronic effects). While Wilco might be considered While WILCO is considered his "bread-and-butter" band, The Singers is probably his prominent vehicle for stretching out.

Draw Breath is the Cline album I've been waiting for since the duo with Gregg Bendian, which was a tribute to John Coltrane's Interstellar Space, which was pulled off with amazing results. It remains one of my top albums of al time. I have to say that although I like the first Singers release, there was simply just something missing. Then he released The Giant Pin a few years ago and I was really quite disappointed with that one.


The opening track "Caved-In Heart Blues" is a beautiful beginning to the album, with a "smoking peacepipe with Indians in the desert" atmosphere. Awesome. In the next track "Attempted", it starts out as free-form bop but it's not long before the sickness comes in. The tornado has begun. "Confection" is a straight ahead rock 'n' roll for the first minute until it gets unhinged by a softer interlude led by Hoff's cello, then it gets going again with an awesome Cline solo.

"An Evening At Pops'," a showcase for the drummer it's named after, is a sixteen minute centrepiece of the album. For most of the time, it's a stew of Cline's feedback and distortion, clanging bells, electronics and Hoff's dissonant bowed Arc bass before it simmers down to some nice ambience. The following track "Angel Of The Angels" is just a nice slow tune filled by Cline's rich 12 string, setting a nice mood after the cacophony of the previous track.

The calm/storm effect emerges again with the acoustic guitar-led soft number "Recognize I" followed by another explosive, free-jazz track "Mixed Message," at least explosive for the first half. "Recognize II", a semi-reprise of the first "Recognize," serves as another wind down tune. The last track "Squirrel Of God" is mostly random noises and Cline's pulsing guitar, but it's actually my least favorite track, doesn't really go anywhere.

Draw Breath. Buy the ticket. Take the ride...

http://www.nelscline.com