(Constellation Records)

It’s a long trip to these spaces, but the scenery is sometimes beautiful

Toronto’s Sandro Perri has been making music under various monikers for over a decade. Impossible Spaces – his first release since 2007 – sees his vocals and multi-instrumentalism joined by a host of talented musicians, many of whom come from improv backgrounds. Just how much of the record was improvised is unclear, and at times I did stop and wonder if anyone was actually in the driver’s seat. Elsewhere, rounding a patch of stuttering percussion and wavering guitars, I was transfixed by a moment of musical wonder, and tracks like Wolfman have several such instances. However, the quasi-experimental meandering that separates these occasions dominates, and becomes the more defining aspect of the eight-track mini album. The consistently languid pace and Perri’s whimsical voice are pleasant, in moderation, but getting through the full 40 minutes sometimes feels like a bit of a slog; a kind of musical day tour that you’ll remember fondly from the photographed highlights, forgetting the drawn-out bus rides in-between.

NILS HAY

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