Phlox - Rebimine + Voltimine

Formed in 2000 in Tallinn, Estonia and having gone through several lineup changes, prog-jazz group Phlox's third album has a fitting and a demonstrative title. Rebimine + Voltimine is Estonian for "Tearing + Folding" and indeed the collective tears down everything that sounds stale and dull about jazz-rock and instead uses the raw materials to fold weird and idiosyncratic shapes. Nowhere near is this approach more evident than on the album opener called "Rähn": they blend jazz-flute (voiced by Ramo Teder aka Pastacas, an eminent Estonian alternative music artist), roaring fuzz guitars, hints at Brazilian jazz a la Hermeto Pascoal and the elements from Canterbury prog into a fusion (no pun intended), which is not only eclectic, but also very intense in its hard-edged sonic approach. The sextet has clearly taken a more rock-oriented approach and the album opener condenses their contemporary approach into a powerful and to-the-point seven minute composition that represents the Phlox today at its best.

The opening number is followed by an interesting juxtaposition heavy on contrasts: "Kraap" is a minute-long noisy live improv segueing into a studio-recorded composition "Habe". The contrast between the live recorded noisy improv and the composed studio recording is wide, yet the transition between the two tracks is smooth. The new version of "Habe" (as the original one is from their second album) is not only more polished and compact, but also more intense than the original. An abrasive alto sax solo from Kalle Klein (who otherwise plays soprano saxophone for the most part on this album) stands out. In contrast to the hard-edged aggressive approach on bulk of the album, the closer "Kurehirm" is a pastoral, yet eerie duet between electric piano and saxophone, where Klein uses a more textural approach on his instrument in the middle section. In between those two extremes there are compositions with psychedelic elements, such as "Hunt", where pastoral sax lines vary with thick fuzz-guitar riffs, hypnotic percussion supports the meandering spacy oriental keyboard solos. Nevertheless, the entire track sounds pretty cohesive and has a kinetic edge similar to the best kraut-rock improvisations, except that it's more proggy and jazz-influenced.

Those of whom who speak Estonian, might delight in the track titles which are quite humorous and occasionally filled with puns ("Sõjajalgne", for example is a play on "sajajalgne", which is estonian for "centipede"). This indicates that the musicians are not taking themselves too seriously and it also proves that the best jazz-rock comes from musicians whose attitude is graced with a healthy sense of humor. It's also remarkable to note that while it was tempting to compare Phlox to certain other 70s prog-jazz legends earlier on, the newest material by the band shows growth and the band is closer than ever to finding their own unique sound in the realm of jazz rock fusion style. Drawing obvious parallels not only comes across as a lazy journalism, but it also is to underrate the band's talents. While not all of the compositions on the album are equally memorable, Phlox nevertheless has evolved and grown throughout the years.