And that's just the first of seven sonic excursions contained on this 71-minute CD EP from 1999. But then, you'd only notice that by watching the CD counter, as these improv pieces flow together seamlessly into a hyper-harmonic auralscape. National Steam is an offshoot project by Quarkspace's Dave Wexler and Paul Williams. Six of the eleven tracks are improv pieces, applying that sparkling fire found on the Quarkspace releases. Jump aboard the National Steam express, departing for the interstellar void with a full load of astral tuneage.
Lively keyboards fill the air with tumbling riffs and burbling electronic effects.
Percussion scampers through the mix, punctuating the flowing melodies with locomotion. Then suddenly, four songs in, the guitar marks its entrance with a twisted spinning fury, tearing its way through the keyboard dominance like . . . Some vocals exist in this music, but their presence is infrequent. Remarkably spacey, the compositions are delightfully entertaining. The music explodes with epic ascendance, reaching cosmic proportions with melodic ease.