Critic's Review
Jon Pruett, All Music Guide
With an arrangement of tracks that are all Karl Berger originals save for "The Smile", this album by the noted German vibraphonist finds him in at the top of his game. "Flow" is marked by some manic bass runs as Berger showers the tune with his melodic mallet work. The title track employs some frenetic marimba work that are intertwined with gentle leaps on the piano courtesy of Masahiko Sato.
"The Only One Of Its' Kind In My Garden" utilizes Berger's far from formal approach and works itself into a shrill, hornless fever. This sort of high tension is also found on a track like "Get Up", with its militaristic, attack-and-release approach to drumming.
The album courses with free energy and is yet very heavy on restraint. It rotates between rapid fire and more spacious, rhythmic sections. The album seems one step ahead of itself and rarely gives you time to breath. In this regard, it makes for a very exhilarating and yet exhausting listen.
"The Only One Of Its' Kind In My Garden" utilizes Berger's far from formal approach and works itself into a shrill, hornless fever. This sort of high tension is also found on a track like "Get Up", with its militaristic, attack-and-release approach to drumming.
The album courses with free energy and is yet very heavy on restraint. It rotates between rapid fire and more spacious, rhythmic sections. The album seems one step ahead of itself and rarely gives you time to breath. In this regard, it makes for a very exhilarating and yet exhausting listen.
