TEETH OF THE SEA

Cerebral sixth by trumpet-thrustin’ London-based avant-psych trio.

The drolly titled opener I’d Rather, Jack lands somewhere between house pulse, motorik and the sort of cosmic industrial grooves and wigged out guitar favoured by 70s pioneers Chrome. And it exemplifies how this group’s initial selfidentification as a kind of avant-garde take on garage rock has expanded over time. A lot of Wraith is more impressionistic, though, with double tracked trumpets drifting across the spacey soundfield of chattering beats and Morricone guitar twang like a sci-fi take on In A Silent Way. The sequencers on Visitor sound like early Tangs but the track gradually changes identity as it builds up into a lattice work of criss-crossing synth lines, slow, low bass notes and monastic vocal incantations. one of the fascinating aspects of this album is how the group’s deployment of simple musical elements gradually builds into more complex structures. Gladiators Ready starts with a syncopated rhythm bed, which is overlain by a tune that sounds uncannily like the theme to the TV series Life on Mars – itself an homage to John Barry. Electronic beats kick in about half way through, and more synths and guitar counter-melodies add weight as it achieves an irresistible momentum.