Fire!, the famed Swedish jazz trio central to the experimental big band ensemble Fire! Orchestra, turns in a delicate, dark, very tense, and occasionally dissonant performance of the avant-garde with She Sleeps, She Sleeps. It's definitely a slow burner, but it's remarkably nuanced and the constant feeling of anxiety felt throughout the album with only minimal breaks ("She Bid A Meaningless Farewell") means that the listener never feels disengaged or bored with it in the slightest. The dissonance is brought on heavily in the title-track, with Mats Gustafsson's saxophone seemingly flailing in the otherwise minute atmosphere set up by the easy bass and light drumming. It's a very patient album as well, as heard during the closing piece "She Penetrates The Distant Silence. Slowly", an extremely slow-moving and incredibly on-edge song that doesn't skimp on build-up or climax, resulting in one of darkest, most anxious jazz songs this year. Truly, Fire! is a trio to be reckoned with when they put together albums such as this.
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