Andy Summers

Triboluminescence (Cargo records) Ambience and esotericism from renowned ex-Policeman Since The Police – and even during – nobody could accuse Andy Summers of being locked into a single musical style. His solo material has seen him take on projects with jazzer John Etheridge (1993’s Invisible Threads) and prog maestro Robert Fripp (I Advance Masked in 1982, and Bewitched in 1984), as well as embark on a mission to explore his own jazz and blues background (Green Chimneys: The Music Of Thelonious Monk in 1999).

He’s released tutorial videos, given seminars and proven to be almost impossible to conveniently pigeonhole in any one area or mode. With 2015’s Metal Dog, his previous outing, Summers began to re-explore a more ambient strain of music. Self-produced and playing all the instruments himself, he plunged into the heart of atmospheric instrumental music that featured exotic instruments fused with plaintive guitar excursions.

With Triboluminescence (for which a dictionary definition reads “the emission of light caused by rubbing or scratching”), he continues very much in a similar vein. “We are now living in a world of a billion guitarists,“says Andy, “so the struggle to swim upstream, sound different and make original music has become more difficult, but then maybe that is a good challenge. I play for an audience of one – yours truly. Maybe it’s the music of narcissism… but I have to end up with something that I like outside of commercial concerns. But if you’re in the game these days you face a barrage of likes and dislikes. Everyone is a critic now…”

In the main, the result here is a series of rhythmic backdrops with processed guitar seeking out a melody on top. A lot of it sounds improvised and, as such, maintains a sort of freshness, with some tracks working well, while others struggle to find their goal. [DM] Standout track: Pukul Bunye Bunye For fans of: Brian Eno, Kevin Ayers