Artist: Taylor's Free Universe Album: Family Shot Label: Marvel of Beauty Records Website: http://www.progressor.net/robin-taylor Reviewer: Bill Knispel

Track List: Strategy M'Fisto Rubberphunk Angel Stairs Nine Nice 'n' Easy Pieces:       First Piece       Second Piece       Third Piece       Fourth Piece       Fifth Piece       Sixth Piece       Seventh Piece       Eighth Piece       Ninth Piece Like a Nervous Car Wreck The Elephant Cure Z Return It’s been said before, and bears repeating here: Robin Taylor is one of the most prolific musicians of the past 20 years. Family Shot is yet another powerfully strong release from this Danish multi-instrumentalist Robin Taylor, this time with his free music ensemble Taylor’s Free Universe. As the name implies, TFU’s material is improvised and free from defined musical structure. The music is therefore always fresh and moving in differing directions, which can be either exhilarating or frightening to the listener. For some, having no defined form may cause difficulty in listening, as there are no distinct repeated forms to hold on to as melodies or hooks. For others, the act of pure exploration can be every bit as fulfilling as structure and melody. The album opens with “Strategy.” A brief soundscape-like piece that sets the table for the music to follow, “Strategy” is built around strange voices that shift in and out of the loops and processed sound, creating a dream like atmosphere. “M'Fisto Rubberphunk” follows, and with a name like that, one might expect some groove and thick beats. The funk is there, with a loping bass line so thick one might need a ladder to climb in and out of it. The music is free jazz, so dancers need not apply; between Peter Friis Nielson’s thumping bass playing and Kim Menzer’s horn lines, this track takes the listener to destinations unknown over its 15-minute duration. Taylor’s guitar playing, eerily reminiscent of 1980’s Fripp with its suspended lines and reedy fuzz tone, builda alien architectures which rise above the funk murk to create a musical skyline that is unique and unfamiliar. Intense stuff, this, and not for the weak of heart. TFU includes an interesting 9-part suite on Family Shot, with an overarching title of “Nine Nice ‘n’ Easy Pieces.” The title is a misnomer; there is nothing nice or easy about any of this material. In listening, one might think that John Zorn would be proud, as six of the 9 subsections are all comfortably under 1 minute in length. There’s not a lot of time for themes or musical images to develop, but in exchange for this, the listener is gifted with a series of individual tastes of music, appetizers rather than full-blown courses. Nielsen, Menzer and Pierre Tassone (processed violin) are the instrumental highlights on these brief bursts of sound, while the contributions of Lars Juul on drums and objects should not be discounted; he flails and pounds and creates a joyfully unhinged sound beneath the melodic instruments. One might hope to hear just the rhythm tracks someday, as they’re interesting all on their own. Taylor’s contributions become more obvious on the longer “Pieces,” where his loops, manipulations and guitar work add a more electronic, alien tone to the compositions. “Like a Nervous Car Wreck” follows on from the 9-piece suite discussed above, with clarinet and trombone rising and falling under keening Taylor guitar and thick Nielsen bass lines. “The Elephant Cure,” by way of comparison, opens with processed and manipulated parts that evoke the titular animal at a variety of pitches. Menzer’s clarinet and trombone provide sounds not entirely familiar to long time listeners of TFU; I’m not quite sure this is a track that would have suited long time collaborator Karsten Vogel. Bursts of elephant sound are followed by drum and percussion spasms in a call and response style. Despite the “animal” sounding horns, which might evoke comparison for some listeners to Adrian Belew’s musical flights of fancy, there is nothing light hearted or jokey here...this is serious business indeed. Family Shot closes with another extended composition, the 13-minute “Z Return.” An electronic-sounding bass and synth line opens the piece, sounding looped but evolving slightly from cycle to cycle. Menzer’s clarinet winds its way through to take center stage, while cymbals and percussive additions from Juul build off the loopy base. The piece builds gradually, layers of sound adding to each other, shifting like mist over the moors or clouds of sand disturbed from the desert by a passing wind. I don’t know that I would necessarily call the music dangerous, but it is difficult, it does have a searching, exploratory quality, and it offers layers of complexity as deep as a listener is willing to dive in. In the final analysis, Family Shot is another solid entry in a continually expanding CV from Robin Taylor. I can’t recommend it to people who find discomfort exploring beyond the more highly structured and melodic progressive musical styles. However, if you’re willing to take some chances and stretch out a little bit, then Family Shot is an album that can’t be recommended any more highly. Band Members: Robin Taylor: guitars, loops and manipulations Pierre Tassone: processed violin, percussion Kim Menzer: clarinet, trombone, strange flute Peter Friis Nielsen: bass guitar Lars Juul: drums, objects