TERJE RYPDAL & THE CHASERS: BLUE

Here's a great one for fans of Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop. Similar in sound, although _Blue_ came out before Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop. Generally, this is night music. Fans of the '80s King Crimson instrumentals such as _Industry_ and _Nuages_ would definitely enjoy this. A great follow-up to his _Chaser_ LP(which bordered on heavy metal at times). Terje plays the spaciest Fender on _Blue_.

It must be the Norwegian blood of my anscesters that has so drawn me to guitar virtuoso Terje Rypdal. The man has such a unique style and generally I find his music very melancholic and atmospheric. This is my fifth album of his that i'm reviewing. His music is such that I can't listen to it as background music, no I have to pay attention, and the louder the better to catch the hidden nuances. THE CHASERS are bass player Bjorn Kjellemyr and drummer Audun Klieve. I believe this lineup recorded three albums together, this being the middle one.

"The Curse" is a short intro track of intricate guitar, bass and drums that come and go while the synths create some atmosphere. "Kompet Gar" is my favourite. We get repetitive drums and bass while the guitar comes and goes. I like the bass here. The synths wash in and out. This is great ! Terje is pretty inventive here. "I Disremember Quite Well" opens with atmosphere and not a lot going on. Sounds like violin before a minute. It's brief.The guitar cries out of the atmosphere 3 1/2 minutes in.

"Og Hva Synes Vi Om Det" has a dark mood to it with sparse guitar sounds. Other sounds slowly come and go as well. This is a haunting piece. "Last Nite" has these high pitched guitar melodies with background synths to open. Mechanical sounding drums come in before a minute. Cool song. "Blue" is a relaxed and dreamy track as the guitar solos lazily over top. "Tanga" opens with drums as bass and guitar join in. The guitar takes over before 3 1/2 minutes as the beat stops. "Om Bare" is basically the guitar crying out from beginning to end.

An outstanding album to listen to during this Winter season.