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Viking's Choice: Nick Millevoi, 'Desertion And The Arsonist's Match'

Nick Millevoi.
Matt Hurst

When Nick Millevoi plays the guitar, it's like a rocket darting skyward between clouds. With credits in Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band, a quartet that performs John Zorn's Bagatelles, and his own Many Arms punk-jazz band, the Philly musician comes at his instrument with an open mind.

"Desertion And The Arsonist's Match" is the lead-off track from his new record, Desertion, and it hits the sweet spot between Neil Young's exploratory Crazy Horse jams and a spaghetti western soundtrack. Millevoi's soulful guitar work sounds knotty but never abrasive, especially as Jamie Saft's Hammond B3 hums and smolders throughout. Bassist John DeBlase and drummer Ches Smith keep a low profile until about six minutes in, at which point the whole thing hits the psychedelic free-jazz flint.

Desertion comes out May 2016 on Bandcamp and ShhPuma, an imprint of Clean Feed.

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