Gunn – Truscinski Duo

It’s always a treat to see a new entry from Gunn-Truscinski Duo. The long-running collaboration has been a wellspring of creativity and a counterpoint to Gunn’s more pop-oriented works. Their latest finds the duo entering the studio with improvisational intentions, working out nothing beforehand and letting the the room dictate the direction of the pieces. Past releases have seen the group working compositions into meticulous order, but here, the openness and flow let Flam pulse with an airiness that’s often been absent in the past. The band calls out the cinematic feelings on the record, and it does feel like a kindred spirit to someone like Steven R. Smith, whose works have balanced between tension and grace.

The record, like much of Smith’s Worstward output, feels cut for the screen, the band reacting in studio to and unseen emotional arc. Turscinski’s percussion urges the album onward, creating a bedrock for Gunn’s experimentation with tone and turbulence, tiptoeing through tracks like “Broad Street Bells,” and exploding on “Conviction.” This time the band set up with stations for guitar, synth, percussion, effects and found inspiration in the room, using studio vibe like a Ouija for the record. Flam feels like an evolutionary step for GTD, two heads at the top of their game pushing themselves to never feel too comfortable. Can’t wait to see where they go next.

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