New Albums
DARKSIDE
Spiral MATADOR
7/10
Challenging, captivating arrangements from artisan duo
The latest from Dave Harrington and Nicolás Jaar is their long-awaited follow-up to 2013’s Psychic. As on that album, the on-off duo have assembled a patchwork-like array of musical ideas and moods, and explored some experimental niches. Springing to life with icy metallic plucks, “Narrow Road” grows into a haunted, somewhat downbeat opener, with Robert Fripp-esque guitar snaking around the mix defensively. As the record continues, we hear similarly decaying constructs, with ramshackle guitar (“The Question Is To See It All”) and odd, barely standing rhythms (“Inside Is Out There”). Though not everything here works, Spiral remains consistently intriguing throughout.