This band somehow seems to perfectly capture those elements in music that I think of as distinctly "Chicago", and by this I mean that certain intangible realness, and lack of studio polish that for some reason make me think of the long harsh winters to be spent indoors. With their rather loose feeling string arrangements, and abundant yet subtle percussion, this band, across the album's four tracks, creates a beautifully sparse picture of what I would refer to as that distinctly Midwestern gloom.

The arrangements hold a mysterious majesty to them with their sinewy cello and bass clarinet lines coupled with the soft tinkling of bells and the haunting rumble of mallet produced percussive washes and rolls. I was immediately reminded of some of the better improvisatory music that came out of Chicago in the 90's on the Okka Disc label (remember that Brotzman Octet/Tentet set? Or some of George Grawe's output on the same label?) that featured the dark sparseness and harshness of the European school, as well as all of the other great music to appear from this city during that era (e.g. Jim O'Rourke's output at that time along with much of the Drag City catalog from that period). This group seems to have mastered the effect which is created when blending improvised passages with strong arrangements, resulting in a sound whose emphasis is truly placed on the ensemble's interactions as a whole.

This is definitely a good disc to pick up by a group who I am sure you will hear much more of in the near future. The skill with which they cohesively cover such a wide range of musical territory is very impressive and this album showcases that really well. 8/10 -- Kevin Richards (22 October, 2008)