REVELATIONS
CHRIS CORSANO
The Key (Became The Important Thing [& Then Just Faded Away])
DRAG CITY
7/10
Rock-leaning solo excursion from free-improv drummer
Chris Corsano is the rare percussionist who can fill a stage on his own – although his chaotic and controlled improvisatory flights have made him a sought-after collaborator by everyone from Björk to outsider bluesman Jandek. The Key finds him going at it alone for a six-song set that dances the line between free improv and hard rock, Corsano himself adding guitar and bass overdubs to the frenetic drum eruptions. Highlights include “The Full-Measure Wash Down”, which comes on like The Magic Band playing Can’s Tago Mago; and galloping opener “I Don’t Have Missions”, a chunky blues jammer that spends its seven minutes in a state of feedback-buffeted levitation.
LOUIS PATTISON
CRACK CLOUD
Red Mile
JAGJAGUWAR
7/10
Canadian collective’s third LP channels sweet chaotic energy
A sprawling collective centred around singing drummer Zach Choy, Crack Cloud embody the unpindownable ethics of the best contemporary alternative music. At times they sound as if they are seeking to recreate The Clash, before suddenly erupting into jagged film-score strings (“Blue Kite”). “Ballad Of Billy” is sprawling skronk-pop reminiscent of King Gizzard, while the chugging “Epitaph” sees Choy sharing vocal duties with Eve Adams. The album was partly recorded in Joshua Tree, and some of the desert rock vibe can also be detected on epic closer “Lost On The Red Mile”.