Album Review: Tu-Ner – Tu-Ner for Lovers

Playing the music of King Crimson is technically demanding; it requires a level of musicianship to which most players can only aspire. Actually playing as a member of King Crimson is another matter altogether. But two of the members of Tu-Ner have in fact been members of that group, and the third is so staggeringly accomplished that he may as well have been. But this trio – Markus Reuter, Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn – applies that breathtaking level of skill to wholly original music. It’s safe to say that if you appreciate the music of King Crimson – especially its later double trio and seven-headed best eras in which the music took on a post-metal, post-industrial, post-progressive character – then you’ll luxuriate in the sonic landscapes of Tu-ner.

Don’t be fooled by the album title: this is nightmarish (in a good way, I tell ya) instrumental music of the highest order. Conventional ideas of melody don’t often apply ; there’s an abstract character to many of these pieces, clattering and scraping along with malevolent abandon. There’s a sense of humor at work when it comes to song titles (“Triangle of Love,” “Transistor Valentine”) but when it comes to the music itself, Tu-Ner is deadly serious. Challenging and knotty, the trio’s tunes can be intimidating to the uninitiated. But Reuter’s touch guitar, Mastelotto’s intricate percussion and Gunn’s Warr guitar all come together to make a sound the likes of which you’re not likely to hear elsewhere. Brilliant and recommended to the musically adventurous and open-minded.