Paul Flaherty, Bill Nace

Once again teaming up with Vampire Belt bod Bill Nace, improvisational grandmaster Paul Flaherty returns for this new LP, An Airless Field, which features Nace on guitar and Flaherty on tenor and alto sax. Nace opens the LP with a sustaining, steely effects-laden wash of noise, leaving a dark, almost industrial background for Flaherty to solo over. Much of the dynamic between the two seems to involve Nace laying down vibe-heavy atmospherics while Flaherty roams freely. The counterpoint between the two players really emphasises how fluid and lyrical Flaherty's playing can be, although as Nace's work starts to lean towards the more overtly noise-based extremes, the more his sax-toting partner rises to the occasion, flurrying through dissonant, untamed phrases to match the six-string abstraction.