Caboto

2006 release ** "A crossroads between jazz representation and experimental post-rock, "Hidden Or Just Gone" is perhaps Caboto's test of maturity. More than five years after their debut, the Bologna-based instrumental combo has arguably reached its peak, transfiguring its avant-garde writing within refined yet extremely neurotic and obscure environments. An intense and accomplished album. It features a subtle alternation between improvised figures and reasoned structures. A marked aptitude for freeform writing enveloped in subtle mathematical contours. Rhythmic immersions with a romantic edge, twisted around tight guitars that take on different tones, albeit all dark gray. Nine extremely intimate instrumental dialogues, in which a rough traditional bass-guitar-drums structure is embroidered with elegant incursions of sax, keyboards, maracas, and sampled details. The mannerism is undoubtedly evident, and the solutions are often textbook examples of post-contemporary post-rock. The love for Tortoise is evident, and the compositions often resemble postcards from Chicago a while back, vaguely lightened by a faint Canterbury-inspired psychedelic undertone. The originality undoubtedly lies elsewhere, but the inspiration is credible, even if a little fragile at times. The album nonetheless expresses a concrete and vibrant emotionality, with some moments of great involvement. In short, Caboto have evolved, and this is a good piece of work."