Gordon Grdina plays electric guitar and oud in concert at Afterlife in Vancouver, BC with an explorative team of Russ Lossing on piano, Rhodes and clavinet, Oscar Noriega doubling on alto sax and bass clarinet with Satoshi Takeishi on drums. The team stretches out on almost all of the piece, with only the electronic guitar feedback of a King Crimsonish “Night Sweats” clocking in under ten minutes. The frisky drums, spacey effects of the keyboards and angular lines from guitar and alto sax make a wild ride of the title track, with dark and fuzzy moods following up Noriega’s rich alto intro to “Seeds II.” Grdina’s guitar is pensive on the solo intro to “Benbow” with Noriega’s bass clarinet adding texture before the team kicks into a prog rock feel while his oud is dreamy on an impressionistic “Wayward” that climaxes in a scamper with thick bass reedwork. Flexed muscles and sharp angles.