KTU consists of drummer/programmer PAT MASTELOTTO, Warr guitarist TREY GUNN (erstwhile members of KING CRIMSON) and Finnish accordion player KIMMO POHJONEN. Quiver is the trio’s second album, though the first recorded in the studio. Despite the unconventional lineup, there’s little on this album that breaks any boundaries or alters perceptions. Pohjonen’s squeezebox provides texture more often than it leads, while Mastelotto’s electronics err on the side of familiar keyboard sounds. Gunn’s instrument covers both the bass and guitar end of the spectrum, making him the primary riffmonger. None of this is to say that the tracks aren’t enjoyable – it’s always a pleasure to hear Mastelotto’s polyrhythmic performances, and Gunn and Pohjonen prize melody over cacophony. But the songs basically sound like the instrumental side of 90s Crimson – aggressive but not angry, tuneful without being pop-melodic, rhythmically complex but not so challenging that a Luddite can’t follow along. That’s not bad in the least, but it’s hardly a departure from the day jobs of 2/3 of this ensemble. Quiver is good music, but not the radical kind of which you’d hope players of this caliber would be capable.
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