Loop 2.4.3

Full-on percussion albums sometimes collapse into freeze-dried, jam-band overkill. Brooklyn-based free-drum duo Loop 2.4.3 avoid this cliché on their EP, Batterie. Instead, their tight global rhythms ride improvised jazz rock beats. Thomas Kozumplik and Lorne Watson are Loop 2.4.3, ex-chamber musicians who collectively play snare, steel pan, marimba and other percussion instruments. The duo skilfully build their compositions from skeletal fragments into complex beat narratives. The trilling steel-pan tones of "Almglocken Melodian” evoke elements of art rocker Mike Oldfield’s "Tubular Bells.” Elsewhere, "Walls of Waves” captures the dynamic energy of a Kodo drumming performance. Batterie was recorded live for Seattle’s Sonarchy radio, which may account for its poor sound quality. That doesn’t detract from the exciting and vibrant music on Batterie, but ultimately showcases Loop 2.4.3’s explosive live performances.