Breach – Borders
(BREACHCD02. CD Review by Chris Parker)

For their second self-released album, the Scotland-based trio Breach (electric guitarist Graeme Stephen, English organist Paul Harrison, Canada-born drummer Chris Wallace) have stuck pretty closely to the formula that produced their debut, On the Walk: eight in-band originals deftly and intelligently explored by a mutually responsive band, its music embellished by sparing but telling use of electronics.

Over the slow-building energy provided by the brisk, supple drumming of Wallace, Stephen produces a series of spiky, powerful solos and Harrison is either rousing or pleasingly discursive as appropriate, anchoring the band sound with his bass pedals. With Asaf Sirkis’s trio, Troyka and Chris Higginbottom’s latest band all exploiting this supremely adaptable format in different and highly individual ways, the organ/guitar/drums trio has seldom been in better shape than at present, and Breach’s take on the form is an impressive and enjoyable one, resulting in this album -– although the music on it is not as left-field as that produced by Stephen and Wallace in their trio NeWt with trombonist Chris Greive – packing a considerable, if relatively subtle, punch.