Ramda

Album Review

The sophomore solo album from the Dylan Group's percussionist saw Adam Pierce follow his The True Meaning of Boodleybaye with a second stunning selection of post-rock brilliance. While the 15 tracks offer plenty of late-night introspection by way of the bassline that quietly finds its way through the swirling acoustics of "Good Red Road" or the vibraphonic "Headphoneland in the School of Old," Pierce is at his best when he steps up the pace. The intense high-speed percussion that literally explodes from "Galileo" is a case in point, with a devious smoke-and-mirrors arrangement somehow preventing fearsome beats from putting the frighteners on a gentle wash of acoustic guitar. And so it goes on, an aural assault softened by ambient soundscapes, the two contrasting elements making unlikely but remarkably amicable bedfellows through the use of sympathetic Reich-like melodic constructions — with the result an awesome 73 minutes of surprises.