by François Couture
Published 7 July 2014
Splice - Silent Spoke
Second album by Splice, a British quartet consisting of trumpet, sax/clarinet, percussion, and bass guitar, the latter instrument being played by Quebec’s own Pierre Alexandre Tremblay (electroacoustics composer, member of De Type Inconnu, etc.). This second opus, a double CD with a total duration of around 80 minutes, is just excellent. It carries on with what was established on their debut: improvised rock crossed with avant-jazz and electronics (Tremblay and trumpeter Alex Bonney). Similar in approach and sound to Supersilent. The material is very strong, and it was a good to present it over two discs – I recommend listening to it in two sittings, it helps letting the highlights really stand out. 'La pluie' (17 minutes) explores drone and lysergic paths. The other tracks are much shorter (2 to 8 minutes), somewhat tighter, and just as effective. Highly recommended.
