TU

King Crimson's rhythm section's (Trey Gunn-Pat Mastelotto) debut album. A bit strange progressive instrumental rock, combining few modern progressive scene areas. Trey Gunn is great master of stick/touch bass/guitar, and he demonstrate it there in full. As well Mastelotto creates complex (sometimes with KC smell) rhythmic constructions. But - there are much more elements.

First of all, some electronic devices are presented everywhere, so in moments you just remember Squirepusher's electronic+bass recordings. Then, guys really learned enough from Fripp, so expect plenty of ambient sound all around as well. Heavy, sometimes dark, very dynamic music.

Best description will be possibly "Gunn/Mastelotto period King Crimson without soul". What doesn't mean music is plain or boring. It is nervous, experimental, but under all that rhythmical pyrotechnics it's difficult to find musical value - content , should be placed under the skin of any good music.

So -not a bad album, with some really interesting sounds, structures and rhythms, but from such category you will stay empty after you finished listening.

By the way, this TU project has its wider form - KTU ( or double duets, one of which is TU, and the other - Finnish excellent accordion/sampling duo Kluster). Believe me, same TU rhythmical pyramids added with explosive melodic accordion sound of Kimmo Pohjonnen, sound much better!

Best Duo studio album after Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends. Though some cultural tastes revealed in the album are kind of concerning, such as the Japanese yeller. Trey Gunn is unique as a touch guitarist, which makes him totally different from a person who playes simply both guitar and bass. His normal part combines the strength of guitar line and the thickness of bassline, while his power solo is ferocious even in the standard of his guitar mentor - Robert Fripp. On the other side, the playing of Mastelotto is as good as he did in King Crimson's TPTB era. He integrates his grooves with electric percussions excellently.