PLAY PAUSE STOP - BENEVENTO/RUSSO DUO
This is an album of cinematic scope — a mini-epic, really. Colorful head trips abound, with Marco Benevento’s evocative, spiraling organ, piano and synth excursions and Joe Russo’s propulsive yet elegant drum workouts tracking our two heroes across deep-space voids (the title track), Parisian street fairs (”Something for Rockets”), subterranean rock clubs (”Hate Frame”) and the muddy Mississippi (”Memphis”). Guitar, bass, accordion and other noise-makers are given memorable cameos, but vocals are virtually absent, only adding to the sense of intoxication created by these acid-drenched soundscapes. But take note: There’s probably more here for the brooding Arcade Fire or Tortoise fan than the twirling neo-hippie despite the group’s intermittent hookups with ex-members of Phish. Above all, the disc is a celebration of holding down the center while stretching out to touch the edges. Billboard
