Sons Of

Chicago musicians and 's work in , , and other bands made them two of the most valuable contributors to the post-rock scene of the '90s and beyond. , in particular, blended an affable kind of pop lightness into their sound, tempering the experiments with genre and delivery that their peers sometimes took to harsher places. Over the course of several albums in the 2010s and 2020s, has been applying that light touch to modular synthesis, exploring electronic sounds that often float with the same mid-day mellowness of his band's jazz-inflected songs. is the first duo recording from sometimes bandmates , and it finds them in a similar electronic mode as 's more recent output, only pushing their slowly evolving instrumentals with house pulses and occasional disruptive squelches. The four lengthy pieces on were originally part of a live performance, but were expanded on in the studio. The nearly 24-minute track "A Yellow Robe" is especially immersive in live way, blending the curiosity of an on-the-fly DJ set with the patient and persistent looping energy of 's proto-techno landmark . Closing track "Ascending by Night" serves as the obligatory wind-down ambient piece, though the majority of is cool and composed. Those expecting the organic post rock fusion of the bands are best known for won't find it in the meditative lingering of , but close listeners will hear the same airy melodic sensibilities and creative restlessness in these chilled-out synth tracks that are at the core of each player's best work with their respective bands. ~ Fred Thomas