The Necks - The Boys

The Necks are an extraordinairy Australian band comprised of three jazz musicians playing a monolithic version of improvised music that is incomparable to anything I've heard elsewhere. It's a drifting, repetitive, fluid, rhythmic improvisation that starts live with one member thinking of some theme or riff or pattern to play and which is expanded upon by all of them until, around an hour later, you're hearing something completely different to what was first initiated. And, yes, you've even taken a god-damned musical journey with them. It can be completely rivetting stuff but is fraught with all the same problems that improv brings into play.

They've released a slew of live concert albums, the best of which is Piano, Bass, Drums where their normally quiet and laid back style is left in the back seat as the trio simply hammer the beats and leave that foot pedal down on the Steinway. At times it sounds like six people up there and I really wish I'd been at Sydney's sedate Basement night club just to keep the applause going for longer. They've also released about the same number of studio recordings where the same improv idea is expanded upon with over-dubs and more compositional stucture. Almost all of these are spellbinding but Hanging Gardens is my favourite of the moment with an almost drum'n'bass pulse and a lighter feel than some of the others. And they've also done a few film soundtracks including the recently re-released The Boys.

This was just about the only Necks record I hadn't acquired, which was solely due to the fact that I really disliked the movie. Not that it's a bad film - far from it. But the claustrophobic feeling of impending doom that permeates every frame affected me so adversely that I could barely stand to watch it. And, because the music really enhances this oppression, I could. likewise, barely stand to listen to the music afterwards. One hint of the main theme and I quickly turned it off. Luckily my memories of the film itself have faded enough for me to get the cd now. This not only rounds out my collection of Necks material (sans a few bits and pieces) but it's such a stunning suite of tracks that I'm embarrassed I hadn't purchased it before.

In many ways this is the best thing they've ever done. The pieces run from dark, plodding chunks reminiscent of stripped down Wire, Rhys Chatham or Sonic Youth to the almost trademark piano and organ led pieces where the rhythm section oozes the kind of ennui and evil that the film portrays so well. And, best of all, it includes a lot of material that isn't on the soundtrack itself but which was made for possible inclusion or extends the themes they'd already created.

I've no idea why they've decided to release it again at this point in time (maybe a DVD release of the film is imminent) but I'm glad I've gotten over my disgust long enough to hear one of their best cds.