The Necks – Disquiet

Disquiet:

• Noun – a feeling of anxiety or worry
• Verb – make (someone) worried or uneasy

The Necks are an Australian avant-garde jazz trio known for their extended instrumental improvisations (typically an hour per song). The trio is Chris Abrahams on piano and Hammond organ, Tony Buck on drums, percussion, and electric guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass guitar and double bass.

Disquiet is a three-CD album (streamed as three volumes) comprising four songs and just over three hours of music. The general vibe is ambient music that is intriguing enough for active listening – this is more than musical wallpaper, this is art.

The first track (CD 1/Volume 1), “Rapid Eye Movement,” reminds me of the Miles Davis album In a Silent Way. The band riffs on a theme for nearly an hour. My first reaction was that the band was dawdling, but, digging in, the band is engaging with the theme. This is a fascinating jam session. Some thoughts

• It is mellow
• It’s spooky, but not scary
• It is dreamy, not surprising given the song’s title
• It is not intrusive and could be incidental film music, yet it is engaging enough for me to listen actively.

The track instantly hooked me and made me want to hear the whole album. The song is not ominous, but there is a trace of anxiety – as the album title might suggest. Be forewarned, this is all very subtle. Without careful listening, you will fall asleep, or it will become just a background to your other activities (not that those are bad things – the beauty is that it can serve that purpose too).

“Ghost Net” is strikingly hyper compared to the previous song, opening with a twitchy rhythm. When the guitar joins the party, it suddenly feels a little unsteady (like you have had one too many), but then it stabilizes. When the Hammond floats in – wow. Now we have an interesting song. This is going to be a 75-minute ride. The Hammond improvises over a rock-solid beat. Eventually, it gives way to an electric piano and later another keyboard.

“Causeway” is one of two “short” songs (under 30 minutes) and creates a joyful mood.

“Warm Running Sunlight” returns to the more contemplative sound of the first track. It is also relatively short, with a running time of just over 30 minutes.

Disquiet is ponderous, but in a good way. Generally, I find ambient music like this boring, but Disquiet has captured my interest. It is available on high-resolution streaming services as a 24-bit/96 kHz FLAC.