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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Tu-Ner

T2 Tu-Ner for Lovers

Review by Gary Hill

Following closely on the heels of their last release, Tu-Ner has unleashed another thrilling set of instrumental music on the world. This super-group is made up of Warr guitar player Trey Gunn. drummer Pat Mastelotto and touch guitarist Markus Reuter. One might expect that they would make music that has a lot in common with King Crimson, and that's accurate, but not the only thing at play here. This music is experimental, unique and strangely compelling. It's perhaps not the easiest thing to review track by track, but each piece has its own identity, even if there is a common musical thread throughout.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024  Volume 3 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024.

Track by Track Review
The Last Barbie Tango
This starts tentatively, and it grows incrementally until it is fairly loud and raucous. It's also experimental and trippy. That said, it's also got some cool grooves and some parts that you can really grab onto.
Six Inches Tall

This is perhaps even freakier than the first piece was. I really dig the bass sound on parts of this, but there are so many intriguing sonic elements at play. This is freaky, but oddly tasty, stuff. It sounds like pretty much nothing else I've ever heard. I suppose one could make comparisons to the Rock in Opposition movement, but this is edgier and more modern than that would suggest.

The White Thing

Freakish guitar type sounds swirl over the top as some rubbery bass helps the drums keep the foundation in place. While this is just as "out of the box" as the first two cuts, it seems a little more accessible somehow.

A Nightingale Sang in Our Tornado

While everything here has a lot of percussive elements, this one is even more percussion based. It's a cool number, too.

Attack of the Puppet People

This has some pretty intense moments. It's trippiness is up where you would expect, too.

Triangle of Love

There is some especially intricate guitar work here and some intriguing bass. In some ways, this has an almost dream-like quality to it, but it's not really a restful dream. It gets noisy and driving later with something that sounds like some kind of creature in the mix.

In a Sacrificial Mood

There are jungle sort of sound-effects at play here. Some of the music feels like keyboards. Rubbery bass sounds paint tapestries of sound underneath everything. This is another that's somehow more accessible.

Cardboard Rendezvous
I really like the energy and groove on this track. There are some things here that feel like synthetic voices. This is another intriguing number.
You Returned for Me

While this comes in on the mellower side, it eventually drives out to louder and more rocking territory.

They Call Him Threnody

There is a spoken processed voice thing at play here. The bass jamming on this is among the best of the whole album, and this just oozes cool. It's just as outside the norms as the rest of the music here, but it's also oddly catchy and compelling. This might be my favorite piece on the disc.

Transistor Valentine

The bass elements again stand out there. This is another powerhouse piece of music. It manages to grab onto the listener and not let go in many ways.

I Put a Crush on You

A little mellower and textural, this reminds me a little of a drifting piece of wood near the shoreline, but delivered with some elements of electronic space rock.

Combat and Courtship

Trippy atmosphere gets this going and percussion joins as it marches forward. While remaining largely spacey and understated, this manages to cover quite a bit of territory.

 
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