Terry Gross "Huge Improvement"
Few bands are as primed to capture their ecstatic live energy in masterful sonic detail like Terry Gross. Composed of three renowned engineer/producers whose studio doubles as their jam spot and communal gathering place, the trio are able to document their longform psychedelic escapades with granular precision. The potency of the fellowship formed by drummer Phil Becker, bassist Donny Newenhouse, and guitarist Phil Manley (Trans Am) lies in their ability to utilize their prowess as both players and recording engineers to translate feeling with immaculate clarity. On their second full-length Huge Improvement, Terry Gross embody a complex web of emotion with songs as ferocious and precise as they are agile and care-free, delighting in the catharsis of excising tension alongside one’s most trusted peers.
Huge Improvement’s tongue-in-cheek title is rightfully earned. Like their debut Soft Opening, the pieces on Huge Improvement began as improvised studio jam sessions without expectations. The trio’s ability to plug in, play and have each experiment thoroughly documented opens up unparalleled avenues for further exploration and honing. The bulk of the songs were constructed from their now tried-and-trusted process of excerpting the best sections of their lengthy jams and sculpting them into more refined shapes. “Sheepskin City”, a gallivanting ode to impermanence, runs at full-tilt, pushing repetitive riffing to sonic extremes and invoking prog-rock drum and guitar heroics. Terry Gross’s vocal melodies shine with tight harmonies that borrow from Manley and Newenhouse’s time playing in bluegrass bands. “Sales Pitch” implodes from a motorik groove into a sludgy dirge rich with textural nuance hidden in the crunch. The languid “Full Disclosure” is a testament to Terry Gross’s craftsmanship and undeniable chemistry as both a live and studio band, chronicling one of the trio’s jams in its entirety without edits or overdubs. Closing track “Effective Control” draws out an astoundingly pop-inflected edge to their rollicking thunder as it nears closer to the album’s exhilarating conclusion.