Bone

Taking a break from his composer/bandleader duties with Doctor Nerve, Nick Didkovsky uses the time to reacquaint himself with the joy of noisy, loud guitars. Helping him let loose is bassist and fellow traveller Hugh Hopper, best know for his seminal work in Soft Machine. Interestingly the two have never met: this recording was the result of long distance track swapping — a fact belied by the sharp, lively interplay of the two. Rounding out the trio is drummer John Roulat who, aside from duties in Forever Einstein, was the drummer in Didkovsky’s first high school band. The pieces have a mainly jazz-metal feel in the vein of Fantomas or Mr. Bungle, but without the "watch-me-wank” tendencies. Hopper’s fuzz-encrusted bass grounds Didkovsky’s arpeggios and occasional synth swells add depth and thickness to the sound without becoming all Yes-y in the mix. Roulat is excellent at both steering the machine and providing atmospherics in many of the album’s quieter moments. Good for the consummate note benders and us non-guitar freaks alike.