(08-26-06)

Centre Daily Times

Instrumental Quarter drives listeners into musical wilderness

By Cole Hons, for the CDT

"Traffic Jam," the second release from Italian quartet Instrumental Quarter, is an affecting collection of vocal-free compositions that combines the fresh, electric timbre of indie rock with the moody, jarring approach of avant garde modern classicism. Following in the footsteps of the band's 2004 debut, "No More Secrets," IQ's new tunes represent a conscious attempt to translate into sound the experience of entering the natural world. By embracing the terrifying, along with the sublimely healing, the band succeeds at this goal.

The new disc opens with the stirring, expansive track "A Beautiful Shopping Day"; wanders lightly through slow, meditative numbers such as "Walking to the 5th" and "Lost On My Desk"; and leads listeners through unpredictable landscapes of audio wilderness on atmospheric sound sculptures such as "La Stanza Buia," "Illinois Breakfast II" and "Another War."

IQ builds its sound on the foundation of Paride Lanciani's intricate, repetitive guitar figures. Filled out by Marco Bognanni's subtle, cinematic drumming, Gabrielle Grosso's articulate, pulsing bass lines, and Davide Arneodo's emotive violin and Rhodes piano work, the band creates a unique sound that defies easy categorization but could be described as a trippier version of Chicago's Dirty Three.

By turns insistent, haunting, celebratory and mournful, the 13 tracks on "Traffic Jam" rise and fall, ebb and flow, like the elemental spirits of nature. Many moments conjure the sensation of a quiet day spent listening to the wind and watching the trees sway in the breeze. Others erupt suddenly, evoking the force of a violent thunderstorm in the middle of a balmy summer's day.

Almost every song on the disc evokes the ambivalence of mixed emotions. "Loser in Love," with its determined guitar and starkly beautiful violin parts, sounds like a sleepwalker stumbling through a life spent half aimlessly, half purposefully. And the startlingly abrupt tempo shifts on "Water Guns" and "Jackpot" remind the listener how quickly life can change when you least expect it.

"Traffic Jam" is a study in low-key grandiosity. With liberally applied atmospheric effects and dynamic intensity, IQ generates a sound that feels as though it is being delivered through a dream.

Its pastoral grooves, abrupt punctuations of noise and dramatically sweeping approach make for a record that would be dangerous to listen to while driving late at night but perfect for absorbing through headphones while drifting off for an afternoon nap in the woods.

Source Centre Daily Times