THE FALL OF US ALL

Do you like frenetic percussion? I mean REALLY frenetic, the kind that makes Santana sound like a kindergarten Christmas singalong? Then THE FALL OF US ALL must be the album for you. Especially its first six tracks, because there Steve Tibbetts (percussion), Marc Anderson (Congas, steel drum and percussion) and Marcus Wise (tabla) lay down the wildest rhythms, on top of which Tibbetts plays manic guitar solos like a latter-day Hendrix. It sounds as if he's on a wild motorcycle ride through Asia, having started the day on half a liter of the blackest coffee; at least the tracks' titles (and the temple photos in the CD booklet) suggest as much: 'Dzogchen punks', 'Full moon dogs', 'Hellbound train'... Occasional relief is provided by gentle wordless female vocals, dreamy guitar loops and balmy synths.

On the second half of the CD Tibbetts has crashed. He now sounds as if he's stumbling through Bangkok in a daze, with a terrible hangover. Electric solos are virtually absent. Tibbetts mainly plays desolate acoustic guitar, helped by steel drums and plangent double bass. Again, the titles seem to be telling a story: 'All for nothing', 'Fade away', 'Drinking lesson', 'Burnt offering', 'Travel alone'. I hope he made it home safely!