TAKE EFFECT
Pat Battstone
The Last Taxi: New Destinations
Leo, 2019
8/10
A professional rocker since the age of 14, Pat Battstone knows his way around a tune you won’t soon forget, and here his piano acrobatics guide The Last Taxi band through artistic and highly exploratory variations of jazz sounds.
“Twilight Departure” gets the listen off to a flute fueled start, where very subtle vocals from Chiara Liuzzi help set the mood, and “Attraverso la Citta” follows with a mysterious, ambient and percussive approach that builds into a busy mashing of experimental ideas.
A listen that is very heavy on detail and atmosphere, “All The Birds Have Flown” is a turbulent and energetic display of dizzying talent, while “Escape Syndrome” puts guitars out front with warbling vocal manipulation.
The band don’t get close to running out of ideas on this lengthy listen, and deeper cuts like “Rewind” are full of abstract sounds that are as perplexing as they are captivating, and “Absyinte” recruits a cinematic quality with gentle singing amid meditative instrumentation. The record ends with “L’Amore Reve”, where a lullaby-esque setting builds into a avant garde explosion of gorgeous tension.
Battstone’s 8th album is a monumental experience, where the Italian contributors offer unparalleled skill and the electronic and acoustic musicianship and free improvisation unfolds like a journey we all want to be a part of.
Travels well with: Giorgia Santoro– Entrance; Chiara Liuzzi– Elica
