Trioscapes – Separate Realities – Album Review

There is a whole musical genre called easy listening, you know, the kind of music you put on in the background and ignore. The sort that you can hum along to whilst studying or doing paperwork. Trioscapes’ release, Separate Realities, is most definitely not easy listening. This is intense, demanding complex music, and it’s also immensely enjoyable.

The combination of saxophone, bass and drums is a completely different sound from anything this genre is used to. It’s difficult to imagine how this trio could work. It’s aggressive, complex and schizophrenic. Complicated and varied sax melodies lay over a background of surprisingly heavy grooved bass and drum lines. This isn’t aimless musical noodling, there are clear themes to the tracks, which feel fluid and incredibly well thought out.

In many reviews and write ups, I lead off with facts about the band. So, I didn’t tell you that Trioscapes features Dan Briggs, the incredibly accomplished bassist from The Buried and Me. It’s not hard to assume that his name is the reason Metal Blade have taken the risk with Trioscapes’ Separate Realities. It’s also not that big a leap to assume that many people, like myself, will mainly give the band a listen because of Briggs’ name. However, if anything, Briggs gets out shadowed here by Matt Lynch’s ridiculously tight drum lines, and Walter Fancourt’s incredible sax playing.

The combination of all this talent is an unusual mash up of elements of between the buried and me, the liquid tension experiment and jazz. To enjoy this album, give it time and many listens; this is demanding, difficult, but ultimately rewarding, patience is most definitely needed here. Separate Realities is an essential for prog-heads like myself.

Track Listing

1 Blast Off
2 Separate Realities
3 Curse Of The Ninth
4 Wazzlejazzlebof
5 Celestial Terrestrial Commuters
6 Gemini’s Descent