Search - The Trey Gunn Band :: The Joy of Molybdenum

Trey's Best Yet

JW | Washington, DC USA | 06/30/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With _The Joy of Molybdenum_, Trey Gunn expands his sonic palette while retaining the odd-meter funkiness of his most previous new-material release, _The Third Star_. While both _Third Star_ and the earlier _1000 Years_ featured Gunn's low-end acrobatics (punctuated with upper register tapping and buzzing and propelled by percussionist Bob Muller's first-meets-third-world drumming) much of Molybdenum pulls the ear to the mid range to hear new band member Tony Geballe's acoustic and electric guitar work.. The result is an album that sounds fuller, less like a "solo album"-reinforcing that this album is not by Trey Gunn, but "The Trey Gunn Band." In some ways this makes the distinctiveness of the music subtler. On _Third Star_ the bony skeleton of "bass" and drum was rather exposed, with very little covering the inventive interplay that made the music so exciting. On the new album, there's more skin.That skin sizzles occasionally, as in Geballe's acoustic riff that rides atop the first and last parts of track 6, "Sozzle." Beneath it, Gunn's touch guitar burps out a bass line. In the distance, someone's guitar moans in David Torn-like agony. Muller shakes and beats. At other times the skin glistens, as melody maker in the mystical "Brief Encounter"-a slow, chanting piece that evokes a desert mirage, and might remind King Crimson fans of a decelerated "Talking Drum." "Tehlikeli Madde," the album's closer, traverses these extremes.The disc opens with the title track. Muller begins hammering out a rather complex 4/4, but, as you might expect, that is not quite complex enough for this band. After the guitars crunch in with the main, rocking theme, things are mixed up rather rapidly-an extra two beats here, a couple of measures of 5 there. What makes this enjoyable for the person unconcerned or unimpressed with odd time signatures is that, somehow, Gunn is able to make these changes sound natural, allowing the listener the pleasure of losing oneself in the music without always being able to recall at what point one got lost.The same can be said of much of the music on this disc, which presents the listener with audible evidence of Gunn's further development. When 1000 Years and the more adventurous Third Star were released, some folks pinned Gunn as a one-man electrified League of Crafty Guitarists (no mean feat!). While the sound that likely inspired that appellation is present on this album (for example, on the "redux" version of "Hard Winds"-the original released on Raw Power-and the track, "Rune Song," with its peculiar, stately trilling in the melody line), there is such a variety of original noises, rhythms, and textures that reducing this music to influences is impossible. Alongside the funky rock are stretches of pushing and pulling atmospheric rhythms. (If you require some comparison to other artists, think of a more agile Polytown.)All of the compositions (most of them credited to all three band members) are instrumentals, and together conspire to take the listener, eyes closed, to far off worlds of jungles, deserts, highways, outer space, cityscapes, and whatever other locales one has lurking in the imagination. For those who have liked Gunn's music in the past, they will no doubt like his newest. For those who have thought his work too spare, they will appreciate the richer instrumentation here. And for those who have yet to hear the work of this extraordinarily talented musician, The Joy of Molybdenum is a fine place to start."

Must Hear!

J. M. Myles | Manchester, NH United States | 07/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the first Trey Gunn CD I've heard and I think it is fantastic. I became aware of him through his work with King Crimson. I was very impressed the two tracks I downloaded off his web site,so I figured I'd get the CD. It was worth every penny. All nine tracks are wonderful, and not only is there great variety within every song, but each is quite different than the other. It makes for a enjoyable listening experience from beginning to end.Although there are moments of some tracks reminiscent of Crimson, on the whole the flavor and feel is significantly different. Extensive use of exotic percussion instruments by drummer Bob Muller give it an almost world music feel at times, but then is often punctuated segments of heavy, driving drums. The musicianship of Tony Geballe and Trey Gunn is phenomenal. I highly recommend this CD (six stars!)."

Worldly and hypnotic.

Lord Chimp | Monkey World | 07/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, this is a really difficult album to describe. The album begins with its killer title track, which just left me thinking, "Cool stuff." It blends swarming Eastern percussion with jagged guitar intonations and instrumental strokes of atmospheric color. Despite being fairly slow, it has a gradual intensity in its arrangements, and intense percussion had me aggressively addicted. The album is heavy on atmosphere, but the music is entrancing and brisk in a way that keeps it from sleepy musak land. Excepting plainly smashing stuff like "The Glove" and its stuttering, stormy power, the relaxing songs are quite exciting on their own just because of the arresting instrumentation. "Gate of Dreams" shows some clever interplay in a passage where acoustic guitars play the same rhythmic phrase at different speeds, their mismatched tempos taking them apart before the faster guitar catches up and brings it together again -- kind of like when one windshield wiper is slower than another (I may be making no sense here). "Rune Song" is probably my favorite, with its moist textures creating a subterranean ambience that builds into some powerful melodies near the end. Middle Eastern influences appear most prominently in the chord selections of "Sozzle" and "Tehlikeli Madde", which are some of my other favorites. But heck, I really like every song.Despite being the band's namesake, Trey Gunn is not the star here. Everyone dazzles, be it Bob Muller (who plays strange exotic percussion alongside his drum kit) or Tony Geballe (the principle guitar-meister). Between them both is Trey Gunn and his mighty touch guitar, the weird instrument that enables him to dance along with the melodic forefront or build delicious rhythms.I bet a lot of people are checking this out because of Gunn's involvement in King Crimson's latest manifestation. I think such people will be impressed that the Trey Gunn band excels on its own terms, and it's sure to surprise even the KC fans for its genre-busting approach. The King Crimson connection isn't necessary to be interested either, because I think many people with an ear for ingenuity and fine musical craftsmanship will enjoy this disc."