Clearing

This album can be confidently recommended to those who find most of Fred Frith’s solo guitar work to be too noisy and abrasive. Don’t get me wrong: this is not pop-oriented stuff (those who want to hear what he can sound like in that mode should consult Speechless and Gravity). But for the most part it’s remarkably quiet and restrained, even as he continues to explore the outer sonic regions of the electric guitar’s potential. There’s nothing here that will discourage the newcomer, and plenty to please longtime fans.