Vert

Cologne-based Adam Butler first appeared as Vert at the turn of the century, when he released 2000’s The Koln Concert and 2001’s Nine Types of Ambiguity, two avant-IDM records with heavy intellectual leanings: the former is a Keith Jarrett reference, the latter a variation on the title of a book by literary critic William Empson. After 2001, Butler disappeared. Now, five years on, Sonig has quietly released Some Beans & an Octopus and, if title alone offers any indication, then this third album lacks the pretence of the first two Vert albums. In fact, Some Beans sounds nothing like Vert has ever done before. Fusing Brit-ified ragtime with the dense lyrics of Brian Eno circa Taking Tiger Mountain, and lacquering it all on a lushly orchestrated burlesque foundation, the new Vert’s 11 songs baffle and impress with their playfulness and newfound focus. A genuine surprise, and one worth listening to over again and again.