The Necks - Bleed (2024 US Northern Spy Vinyl LP)

Australian experimental jazz trio The Necks continue their unique approach with Bleed, presenting a single extended improvisation that unfolds across both sides of the vinyl. Recorded at Sydney's Studios 301, mixed at Forbes Street Studios, and mastered in Berlin, this October 2024 release on Northern Spy Records showcases the group's distinctive methodology: pianist Chris Abrahams, bassist Lloyd Swanton, and drummer Tony Buck creating gradually evolving soundscapes through collective improvisation that builds almost imperceptibly over extended duration. Released on black vinyl with an obi strip, Bleed represents The Necks' uncompromising vision after more than 35 years of redefining what a jazz trio can be.

The Necks' music defies easy categorisation. Their approach involves minimal melodic material repeated and subtly transformed over 20-40 minute improvisations, creating trance-like states through gradual accumulation and patient development. Unlike conventional jazz's rapid-fire exchange of solos over chord changes, The Necks build dense, immersive textures where individual contributions blend into a singular evolving organism. Abrahams' piano provides harmonic foundation and melodic fragments, Swanton's bass creates rhythmic and melodic counterpoint, and Buck's drums add both pulse and textural colouration. The result sits somewhere between jazz improvisation, minimalist composition, and ambient music, requiring and rewarding patient, focused listening.

Produced by the band and recorded/mixed by Tim Whitten with mastering by Douglas Henderson at Berlin's micro-moose facility, Bleed maintains The Necks' commitment to sonic excellence despite their deliberately limited musical materials. The GZ Media pressing captures the album's dynamic range from near-silence to dense, layered crescendos. Northern Spy's release makes this essential Australian experimental music available to US audiences, the label's roster of avant-garde and experimental artists providing appropriate context for The Necks' singular approach.