CORNER OF THE WORLD

SOLUS 3 is a relative newcomer to the UK indie scene. They didn't stir up much commotion so far but the potential of their trip-hop nu.jazz mix could change that in the future. I'd say they will have to work on their songwriting though, both in terms of variation, depth and memorable moments

The album starts with the easy-going trip-hop of 'Unfold', in a style very close to MASSIVE ATTACK's 1994 album 'Protection', but substituting the samples with some cool and airy spacey-jazz musicianship. This adds a resemblance to NO-MAN, specifically their album 'Returning Jesus'. A good start, nothing new under the sun but nicely executed, one for fans of new-age-y trip-hop.

'Tricked by a Monster' continues the mood, with a lazy dub rhythm and prominent acoustic/reverb effects on the vocals. This album is a production marvel for sure. The vocals get more expressive reminding me a bit of TRICKY's "Maxinquaye", be it less experimental unfortunately. The supporting male rap vocals are low and whisper-y, completing the TRICKY resemblance. Nice touches of harp and Rhodes let in that new-age-y vibe again.

By the end of the second song, the album starts losing momentum and the instrumental "Lollardy" is the last song that fully convinces before the album starts dragging on for another half hour, continuing the same old dub pace, similar melodies and no change whatsoever in the arrangements compared to the preceding songs. Due to the lack of memorable moments, the interesting impression of "MASSIVE ATTACK on spacey jazz herbs" gradually fades to an anonymous and unremarkable listening experience. The band has their sound just right but they lack the guts to further explore and experiment around it.

I can't exactly see the Eclectic Prog in this, let alone the Prog. The band tag their music as "post-jazz post-punk chamber dub" which is a neat description of what it is: trip-hop with some nu.jazz touches, and this album could be the result of MASSIVE ATTACK teaming up with a nu.jazz artist like H.P. MOLVAER. It sets a nice groove and mood but it lacks the songwriting excellence of the former as well as the more daring and exciting improvisational side of the latter. Overall, nice trip-hop-light but not impressed at all. 2.5 stars