Taking away the often times bombastic soundscape that heavy use of outboard gear allows gives band mainstays Sasha Markovic and Kana Kamitsubo the opportunity to create a world of both introspection and intimate appeal. These are songs that invite you to get inside them, like the feeling of wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night.

The band’s duo core is supplemented by a plethora of guests that further expand the scope of the proceedings. Dewa Budjana and Anthony Mullin’s guitar work and Wen Chang’s violin are just a few of the stellar additions and add further textural revelations.

The version of Free’s Wishing Well is particularly enlightening and their reinvention of such a familiar melody with strong piano chords and subtle plucked and bowed notes is startling. So weather it’s the wide open west expansion on Sound Of M, the classical gas take of Deep Purple’s Burn or the swing sway of North, this is a work of constant surprise and engagement.

Being truly progressive relies on an open-minded approach where there are no expectations that can’t be ignored and no compositional leaps that can’t be cleared.  Reinvention or revelation, Kai is inviting in both extremes.

Rob Hudson
www.yagull.com

This sunny Sunday morning that perfect aural pleasure is Films by Yagull. The group, the project of composer/guitarist Sasha Markovic blends beautiful acoustic instrumentation with forward thinking arrangements and playing.

Don’t let the acoustic tag impact your mindset on this either, for there is as much power in these grooves as a Marshall stack on 11, it’s just more cerebral and only slightly less physical. There is also a superb use of space that allows the listeners to add their own moments of reflection.

As the album’s title denotes there is a cinematic feel to the proceedings that gives it a distinct story arc. This even includes an interesting middle reel with the reimagining of Cream’s White Room and Black Sabbath’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath that show what a disservice musician do to a song when recreating a mirror image of the original.

The sun is out, the coffee is strong and the music wafting out of the house onto the deck is striking just the right tone and life is good. Perfection indeed.

Rob Hudson
www.yagull.com