Surviving Death

Brovold gets a lot of mileage from a simple collection of instruments—guitar, bass, drums, violin, and a few saxophones—in crafting a hypnotic blend of droning jazz-rock. But for this title track, he adds tympani, which combined with the repeated rhythmic figures on electric guitar and violin to create the feel of a curtain-raising overture. Instead of veering into pomposity, Brovold alternates these dramatic figures with a sort of ritornello for two electric guitars squalling in snaky counterpoint.

—DA