Music

"Scruples" is the third album from London's Sudden Voices, and their most ambitious and compelling record yet.

Propulsive krautrock grooves remain a key feature, but this is an evolving music that owes as much to the avant-garde of Morton Feldman, the taut minimalism of Steve Reich, or the improvised sound world of The Necks as any motorik pulse. Experiments in serialism sit comfortably alongside drones and polyrhythms, while immersive layers coalesce into a drifting, analogue psychedelia.

The album's opener sets the tone with a hypnotic, simmering rhythm, while horns and reeds wrestle with belching keys and skittering mallets. Subsequent tracks explore the space between improvisation, jazz, post rock, ambient, minimalism, and textural music. Vocals have been pushed to the background, joining the ebb and flow of strings, reeds, mallets, and brass that rise and fall over shuffling rhythms.

Despite the expansive approach, there's still a tight discipline and careful attention to detail. There may be no lyrics, but these are "songs" that that unfold at their own pace. Nothing is wasted, sprawl is rejected, and the album clocks in at just over half an hour.

Track listing