THIRTEEN

Description

"Thirteen" is the thirteenth studio album by the cult British progressive rock band Soft Machine. This album, composed of exceptional quality unreleased tracks, marks a new chapter in the band's sixty-year history. While Soft Machine's lineup has seen many changes since its golden age in the late 1960s, the band's spirit of musical adventure and its ease in defying labels have remained constant, navigating effortlessly between powerful progressive jazz rock, atmospheric psychedelia, free improvised jazz, and looped ambient music. "Thirteen" features legendary guitarist John Etheridge, a member of the band for over fifty years and once again at the top of his game. Although all four band members contribute to the composition, the album's main composer is saxophonist, flutist, and keyboardist Theo Travis, who wrote six of the thirteen tracks. The latest member to join the band is drummer and composer Asaf Sirkis. The album is incredibly rich and far-reaching. Among the tracks are "Open Road," a rock song where the band lets loose with fiery solos from Etheridge and Travis; the ballad "Disappear," which begins with ethereal flute loops and transforms into a magnificent piano miniature, without drums. "Turmoil," composed by bassist Fred Thelonious Baker, is full of unleashed fuzz bass, frenetic solos, and an almost uncontrollable din. "Daevid's Special Cuppa" features an appearance by founding member Daevid Allen (his guitar part having been recorded years earlier, and the track built around it). On "Thirteen," Soft Machine has never sounded so audacious.