Consumer Guide Album

Nils Petter Molvaer: ER [Thirsty Ear, 2006]
On the spookiest of Thirsty Ear's three Molvaer albums, Molvaer's Miles-sans-mute sound--smooth the way strawberry sherbet is smooth--floats through buzzes and washes, squiggles and treated voices, bodied up by bass parts often his own. Not that he's a loner--most tracks feature four to six samplers, programmers, drummers and such. Here's hoping the woman who sings (and wrote) "Only These Things Count" is another respected fellow professional, rather than his girlfriend. Miles reserved his girlfriends for cover shots. A-