Luis Lopes Lisbon Berlin Trio, The Line

Luis Lopes is one of the most exciting, original avant electric guitarists to emerge from the European scene in recent years. His work with the Gonzalez family and on his own (reviewed here and on the Gapplegate Music Blog, type in search boxes for specific reviews) has shown him at the forefront of all-over avant noise-and-note players today.

Now he comes at us with the (I believe) second recording of his Lisbon Berlin Trio on a recent album called The Line (Clean Feed 312). It brings Luis together again with two excellent open improv players in Robert Landfermann on acoustic bass and Christian Lillinger on drums. Robert amplifies and at times distorts his bass so that the three make some supercharged free almost-metal sounds.

This is a 30-some-odd minute EP that goes pretty thoroughly over-the-top with go-for-bust barrages of free sounds. Luis is very amplified and uses all the resources of the overdriven guitar to create a post-Sharrockian landscape of feedback, on- and off-the-string sound colors and dynamic displays of outside virtuosity. Robert seconds him with bowed and pizzicato distortions and harmonics that create a very dense thicket of excitement. Christian is a whirlwind of aggressive sound outside of a set pulse. There are more quiet moments too, which are no less interesting to hear. And the sum total shows us a very creative Lopes who can construct challenging melodically-harmonically out line weaving as well as vivid noise color.

The three together make an extreme cacophony that is as exhilarating to hear as it is enveloping of all your musical senses.

A terrific blast of sound! If you revel on the fringes of the outside realm, this one is definitely for you. Excellent!