AZIMUTH

Released in the summer of 2009, "Azimuth" was the first release of the New Mexico based Spiral. Spiral is the collaboration of Chris Boat and Aaron Frale, and the two would go on to release half a dozen albums over the next few years. It all began here. While one seven minute track will usually do little but wet one's whistle, this one gave an exciting glimpse into what was coming from this unusual duo.

It begins with apocalyptic, otherwordly noisescapes courtesy of Chris Boat. Strange, deep grumbling sounds lead into a straightforward drum beat and keyboard. From there the percussion turns into a cacophonous and busy stew. Out of the craziness comes the sublime violin work of Felicia Karas, who will appear on several Spiral releases. In this track, her solo is the centerpiece, the first part is somewhat unsettling while the second part is softer and more melodic, paired with Aaron Frale's acoustic guitar. A thoughtful and very unique track, which later resurfaced in similar form during the "Trash Rings/of Space" segment on the album "Citizen." I rarely exceed three stars for singles as I don't consider them all that essential, nevertheless, this is a very cool track.