high timeHigh Time, album no 5 from Chicagos fine trio Pit Er Pat appears as an eclectic offering, sounding sometimes like two drum kits, six people and a box of percussion crammed into a disused and gutted boeing 747 and sometimes like deep smoky trip-hop in a moroccan hash parlour. However, a sultry vocal from Fay David-Jeffers overlaying most tracks gives some symbiosis and also brings us back down from the stark smells and visuals of the multi-faceted instrumental music that dominates this CD. My highlight is the beautifully sounding Creation Stepper, a cross Polynesian/ Ghanese xylophone driven, world inspired piece, which builds constantly in complexity and intensity until it peaks, with likewise, a world music inspired chant and heavily cross rhythmic instrumentation. Splendid - pass the kava! The whole album has a nice warm feel and sound, even though the textures are a mixture of high produced quality sounds and lofi sources. The production is also very well placed spatially, excellent pan work that widens the audio spectrum without depleting that warm sonority. -- stewart hill (stü)
Pit Er Pat/High Time - Thrill Jockey/Rough Trade.
