Knox Chandler doesn't sit still. And when he moved from Berlin to the Connecticut shore, he felt moved to create. There's this album and a book documenting his visual art, both reflecting on the change in his life from an urban one to one that is more embracing of nature.

Knox Chandler The Sound (Blue Elastic)

The music can be abstract, but more often Chandler channels his impulses into improvisations that find order. He plays electric guitar, upright bass and percussion (there are a lot of keyboard-ish elements as well, but I think those are simply MIDI guitar), and generally the songs resolve. There are plenty of engaging hooks and some truly lovely moments. By and large, the songs move.

These pieces may have started as improvisations, but when you're layering instruments upon each other, order tends to find its way. Chandler's deft ear and arrangements ensure that these pieces never lose their sense of wonder and discovery.

I don't have the book, but the pictures I have seen show that Chandler is as adventurous and accomplished in his visual efforts as in his aural ones. Either would be a worthy endeavor. Tying them together amplifies each. I know that art for art's sake is considered, um, elite or something these days. Okay. A project like this is why humans create in the first place. A stunning endeavor.

Jon Worley