The Swifter - Wall Sailor

It is a rare treat to come across a record that imparts music as spacious as Wall Sailor. The album’s ability to capture the listener with a mixture of acoustic instruments, field recordings and digital processing, with constant movement and relentless tension, is nothing but astonishing. Just like an actual murmuration in the sky, the trio’s music refuses to keep steady and allows us to perceive its structures and formations from afar. These pieces could go everywhere; and yet they remain as pleasant as they are fascinating and never fail to impress. The Swifter’s compositions breath an urgency for expression that never gives in to their controlled and skilled performance.

This unusual assembly proves to be a liberating experience in the hands of its three protagonists. Simon James Phillips’ vivid piano playing with Andrea Belfi’s precise percussion and drum patterns make the perfect companions for BJ Nilsen’s electronics, welding together a driving energy. Immersing oneself in the resulting recording feels like watching birds being set free from a cage to relish a newly won space for spreading their wings. Listening closely, you can imagine following the beating of wings, as if these tracks have been waiting to be released to cherish their freedom.