Horizontal Structures

The trio of Moritz von Oswald, Max Loderbauer, and Sasu Ripatti return with a third album, this time enriched and expanded by guitar contributions from Paul St Hilaire and double bass courtesy of Marc Muellbauer. Horizontal Structures is palpably a more open, more expressive album than the previous studio recording, Vertical Ascent. There is more contrast, more light and shade. St Hilaire and Muellbauer add fresh drama and swing to the intimate tonal and rhythmic interactions of the core grouping. The coherence of the five-piece is remarkable; the boundary between acoustic and electronic undone. The group's evolution is firmly signaled in the opener, "Structure 1". There's a lush, romantic quality to the playing and arrangement that we've not heard before: the guitar licks have a bluesy lilt, the bass imparts melody as well as physical presence, the synth