Description
The Nels Cline 4 – Currents, Constellations – Vinyl Record
Currents, Constellations introduces the Nels Cline 4, a quartet built around the meeting of two highly individual guitarists. Cline is known for the wide electric vocabulary he brings to Wilco and his own experimental projects; Julian Lage has a more acoustic-rooted jazz language and exceptional melodic clarity. Bassist Scott Colley and drummer Tom Rainey complete a group designed for conversation rather than a conventional lead-guitar hierarchy.
“Furtive” opens with interlocking lines that make it difficult—and unnecessary—to separate accompaniment from lead. “Swing Ghost ’59” carries a sly rhythmic reference to earlier jazz while allowing the guitars to bend the form. “Imperfect 10” uses an irregular pulse as a compositional engine, with Colley and Rainey making the shifting pattern feel physical rather than mathematical.
“As Close as That” slows the movement and brings out the contrast in the guitarists’ tones. Cline can move from clean articulation to grain and feedback, while Lage often answers with rounded, singing phrases. “Amenette” is compact and harmonically open; “Temporarily” develops through restraint, showing how much tension the quartet can create without relying on volume.
The two-part “River Mouth” is the album’s broadest canvas, moving between written material and freer collective improvisation. “For Each, a Flower” closes with a reflective melody that gathers the record’s chamber-like side into a concise final statement. Throughout the album, Rainey treats the drum kit as a source of color as well as pulse, and Colley gives the guitar dialogue a deep, flexible center.
This Blue Note vinyl edition presents the complete eight-track album and is identified by UPC 602567403913. The sequence emphasizes the quartet’s range, from angular rhythmic design to spacious lyricism. Currents, Constellations is neither a guitar duel nor a fusion showcase; it is a detailed ensemble recording built on contrasting touch, close listening, and the changing relationship between written and improvised sound.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Record Details
Artist: The Nels Cline 4
Title: Currents, Constellations
Format: Vinyl Record
Label: Blue Note Records
Release year: 2018
UPC: 602567403913
Track Listing
A1. Furtive
A2. Swing Ghost ’59
A3. Imperfect 10
A4. As Close as That
B1. Amenette
B2. Temporarily
B3. River Mouth, Parts 1 & 2
B4. For Each, a Flower
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