Exoterm: Exits Into A Corridor
Hubro
The scientific term exothermic process refers to the release of energy into the atmosphere as heat, light, electricity, or sound; more importantly for our present purposes, an exothermic reaction releases a greater amount of energy than is used to initiate it. Exoterm is therefore an apt band name for the combustion that occurs when Norwegians Rune Nergaard (bass) and Kristoffer Berre Alberts (saxophones) meet Americans Nels Cline (guitar) and Jim Black (drums). All four bring years of experience to the endeavour, Cline, for example, a Wilco member since 2004 and Black a well-known quantity in jazz circles for stints with Dave Douglas, Tim Berne, and others. Nergaard, who also plays in Bushman's Revenge and Rune Your Day, is credited with the compositions on Exits Into A Corridor, whose six molten performances were birthed in Brooklyn during two days in January 2018.
They may be credited to Nergaard, but the pieces play like collective expressions, the bassist's compositions kernels from which the music develops. Some tracks emerged from sketches, whereas others developed from formalized melodies and structures. The result, which Nergaard calls “one big gumbo of sound,” eschews the standard trope of theme-solos-theme for a convulsive outpouring that draws on jazz, rock, and improv without identifying with any one in particular.
Don't be fooled by the atmospheric ambient opening of “First Light” and the sultry sax Alberts drapes across its three-in-the-morning shimmer. As the album advances, it becomes clear that Exoterm's natural inclinations tend towards scalding meltdowns and pummeling grooves. Which isn't to suggest that melody and restraint don't occasionally arise to give the listener some secure handle. In contrast to the slow-burn of the opener, “Forest Mist – Night” lunges into formation, with Alberts roaring at the forefront of a thrumming, tribal-inflected pulse and Cline punctuating his agitated squeals with aggressive riffing before strafing the music with fragmented shards.
The placid interlude “Moves Away From the Door” provides a gentle respite from the intensity, after which the plodding “Two More Times” sees Cline indulging in some Fripp-styled moves when not backing a strangulated Alberts with vicious shredding. Genre obsessives might quarrel over whether “…Back Towards the Car – Night” is better classified as krautrock or postrock, but they'll all likely agree on its volcanic power and the elemental force of the band's playing. Exits Into A Corridor makes good on Nergaard's statement that Exoterm, like most of the projects with which he's involved, is “all about the approach, not the genre!” The band no doubt also affords the musicians an outlet to indulge their experimental selves with little regard for commercial factors.August 2019