Occupying a unique space in contemporary music, The Necks have quietly birthed a genuinely original sound, carved from strata of seemingly disparate materials. Emerging from a nebulous background in the late 1980s, drummer Tony Buck, bassist Lloyd Swanton and pianist Chris Abrahams are often (perhaps erroneously) labelled a jazz band, but they draw as much from ambient, minimalist and dub idioms as they do from free improvisation, or any other style for that matter. None of their 17 albums to date can be easily pigeon-holed, but what does define their approach to sound is an organic, gestural style, which allows their long compositions to evolve so subtly and effortlessly, the listener is wholly enveloped and immersed.

Comprising just one hour-long track, Open finds The Necks at their most meditative yet searching. Commencing with a slow fade-in, shimmering percussion figures nudge us gently towards a cascading piano/bass motif, until crisp cymbals and protean, lurching toms create a complex rhythmic architecture, only for it to fall away as the piano returns and rhythm is supplanted by tinkling bells, organ drones and groaning sheets of metallic frequencies.

Always evolving, never settling, Open is like a complex puzzle; a vexing, exhilarating journey which richly rewards deep attention.

Tam Patton