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Previte Chandler — Previte Chandler
(Bandcamp Subsound, 2025, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-04-02

Previte Chandler Cover art

Over the last 20 years or so I’ve heard Bobby Previte in a wide range of different settings, from the experimental sample-fests of Groundtruther to the choral jazz-rock of Mass and many places in between. Previte Chandler finds him in collaboration with Knox Chandler, a musician I’m much less familiar with — though I’ve heard a lot of albums where he’s acted as an arranger or sideman, including recordings by Depeche Mode, The Psychedelic Furs, Cyndi Lauper, Siouxsie and the Banshees, REM, and The Golden Palominos. Here, Chandler sticks to guitar and bass and Previte to drums and percussion, though both contribute electronic processing and effects, giving the illusion that there are synthesizers involved. However they did it, it’s a completely entrancing sonic odyssey from start to finish. I listened to it in headphones the first time, and the first thing that hit me was the extraordinary presence of the drums, with the most beautiful transients blooming in the sparse setting. I can imagine that such resonant detail might get lost in a denser musical setting, or even muddy up a fuller arrangement, but here it’s just superb. This is what drums should sound like! The music sounds very spontaneous, though it was in fact assembled by the two musicians sending files back and forth. It’s also not clearly associated with either jazz or rock, though a listener could make a case for either (or both). At times, I’m reminded of the improvisations of King Crimson or Stick Men, though Previte Chandler is a bit more far-ranging as far as textures go, especially when Chandler’s on the upright bass. There are nine tracks, and every single one of them explores interesting territory, from the whacked-out whammy-bar acrobatics of “Bottom Feeder” to the mangled acoustic guitars of “Tick” and the abstract funk of “Moonburn.” I just flat-out love every single moment of this album, and I hope that Previte and Chandler have the chance to work together again.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Bobby Previte, Knox Chandler

More info
http://bobbyprevite.bandcamp.com/album/previte-chandler

 

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