Album Review: Trees Speak — Mind Maze

As I mentioned in a recent review, Mind Maze, the 2023 album by Arizona-based instrumental band Trees Speak slipped by without my notice. And as I’ve emphasized on many occasions, I am a serious fan of the group and its music. So now with a vinyl copy of Mind Maze securely in hand, I’m pleased to review it.

A quick disclaimer of sorts: I simply love most everything Trees Speak does, so having got that broad-brush praise out of the way, I’ll move on to explaining what makes these specific tracks worth experiencing.

The albums with a ping-ponging synthesizer bleat that suggests video games of the very early ‘80s. But the track soon develops into something more finely wrought and nuanced. Synth lines streak across the aural landscape while a (real?) drum kit lays down a spare percussive pattern. “Minotaur” is cut from different musical cloth; built around a hypnotic and jazzy bass line, it’s eerie and cinematic. “Syndrome” feels like it’s been lifted from a science fiction movie set on the Moon’s cold and monochromatic landscape.

As its title hints, “Sospetto” hearkens to Italian soundtracks, with harpsichord and a sophisticated yet uncluttered rhythm section. “Illusions is abstract and angular, with dissonant sounds keeping the listener off balance while a rock-solid drum pattern steadies things just enough to keep those listeners upright. “Scanner” adds acoustic guitar to the (Tangerine) dreamlike setting. “Burner” suggests what might happen if a hip hop drummer bumped into the programmer of an early analog sequencer. “Rare Earth” would have been right at home on the Thief soundtrack.

After a very Floydian organ opening, “Pathways” moves into and insistent and sinister pattern that is (I suspect) intentionally under-developed. It works for what it is, though. The brief “Skip Breath” sounds and feels like a linking track; its gently picked acoustic guitar figure hints at places the melody could have gone. “Odyssey” is the sound of some knob-twiddling leading to a melody. Flute gives the tune an airy character. “Passage” is here and gone in less than 30 seconds, not enough to leave an impression.

The trip-hoppy “Signals” is a laid back groove with a variety of alluring and impressionistic keyboard sounds. “Black Phone” continues that feel, applying it to a droning, mesmerizing one-chord arrangement. “Mirror” is another quick linking track; it leads into “Stone Tape,” the closing number on Mind Maze. The track is spare and spooky, with a saxophone lead very, very redolent of Dick Parry.

Listeners intrigued by instrumental music with a deeply evocative character simply music experience Trees Speak. Those drawn in by the group’s krautrock inclinations should note that Mind Maze isn’t the best place in their catalog to find the motorik vibe, nor does the album represent Trees Speak’s deepest dive into European soundtrack-land. But as a sampler, a cross section of what Trees Speak can do, is a worthy addition to their body of work. And like everything the group has done, it receives the Musoscribe seal of approval.