ALASTAIR GALBRAITH / CONSTANTINE KARLIS - "Radiant" CD

Alastair Galbraith / Constantine Karlis - Radiant CD (Next Best Way, originally released on Emperor Jones in 2003) "First a bit of a caveat - I am a HUGE fan of Alastair Galbraith’s music. He has always been one of the best the New Zealand underground has had, yet never has gotten the level of notoriety that many of his fellow countryman have. His solo releases have been nothing short of stunning, and his has also to push the envelope in collaborations, as he has done in A Handful of Dust, the violin/piano wire collaboration with Matt De Gennaro, or this new one, a violin/percussion workout with Constantine Karlis, drummer for the very fine New Zealand psych group High Dependency Unit. The title track is the centerpiece, a 35-minute workout that brings to mind a loose, jamming take on the early Dirty 3 and the minimalist compositions of Tony Conrad, but at the same time is it’s own thing. Galbraith’s violin ranges all over, from lovely minimalist rumbles to high screechy tones, but the