Second Woman is a collaboration between Turk Dietrich, half of Belong, and Joshua Eustis, of Telefon Tel Aviv and Sons Of Magdalene. With this pedigree between them it is no surprise to report an adventurous piece of work, an instrumental outlook that pushes rhythmic boundaries without getting over challenging for the listener. The pair have actually worked together for the last 17 years, and that explains the fluency of the writing here, which depends on freeform rhythms and sketchy chord sequences. The track titles are daunting but in reality the bookends, ‘100407jd7’ and ‘900438an4’, wrap the listener in warm chords and scattered rhythms. Darker shades abound as the album develops, but there is always a sense of calm among even the most fractured of broken beats. Best listened to with the bass turned right up, this is a consistently satisfying piece of work, even though the final tracks feel a little like sketches rather than fully fledged pieces of work. There are no complaints on the quality, that’s for sure!
4 out of 5
Reviewed by: Ben Hogwood
