Jealousy Mountain Duo – N°_03 (2015)

German two-piece, Jealousy Mountain Duo have dropped their latest album, N°_03. What follows in the eight track long spiritual journey is somewhere between a modernist interpretation Kurosawa film score and the abstract ramblings of a mad sage in his hilltop shrine. If that comparison sounds like it doesn’t make any sense, that’s because it’s tough to put Jealousy Mountain Duo into words. Fluctuating between minimalist deconstructions of Jazz, 80’s and 90’s alternative rock riffs, and the prototypes of math rock, with thorough disregard for regular timing and meter, N°_03 delves into the quieter realms and wants to familiarize you as much with the spaces in between notes as the ones that are played.

As cool as the mellow-yet-sporadic deconstruction tracks are, the high points of the album for me were when Jealousy Mountain Duo laid down a solid groove and shut down any cries of doubt that they might be anything less than masters of their craft. ‘The Rincon Pio Sound’ and ‘Roadkill’ were particularly stellar examples. If you dig the two-man diatribe of bands like Lightning Bolt or Hella, but want something a little twangier, with a smoother finish, you can snag N°_03 for a mere €4 digitally, or €12 on 180 gram vinyl over at their bandcamp.