By: Eric Feder
he Trey Gunn Band's new album, "The Joy of Molbdenum" is in fact a joy to listen to, providing you were raised on a diet of offbeat, instrumental, polyrhythmic, Crimsonian (as in to be somewhat similar or influenced by King Crimson) music. But I mean, who isn't? Well I am and I've enjoyed this album immensely. It really doesn't sound like King Crimson, but you can tell that Trey Gunn has spent lots of time around Robert Fripp; he studied under Fripp's GuitarCraft and has appeared in the band's League of Crafty Guitarists, Sunday All Over The World, Fripp's String Quintet and of course has been in King Crimson since 1994. Even though you can hear some Fripp influence in Trey Gunn, his style is still very individualistic. Gunn plays 8, 10 & 12 string touch guitars made by Mark Warr of Warr Guitars (he plays a few other things as well) and he creates many unusual moods and textures. Joined by guitarist Tony Gabelle and drummer/percussionist Bob Miller, The Trey Gunn Band mixes funky grooves, odd-timed rhythms, sometimes startling leads and unusual melodies into uncanny sonic landscapes. If all this is a bit wordy, it fits. This is not the kind of music you could simply describe with words like 'rockin'. Songs like "Sozzle" and "Hard Winds Redux" showcase wonderful rhythmic control and deft songwriting. "Brief Encounter" has a distinct Indian feel (complete with oumek) while the title cut contrasts sizzling electric guitar with tasty ethnic percussion. This is unusual music; if your taste tends to drift a bit left of mainstream then this is for you.
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