Lapse begins gently although you sense there's something lurking beneath the surface ready to spring. Nice comfortable guitar solo belies the feeling - but not for long. Soper's trumpet solo increases the tension with Chung upping the ante further and, almost imperceptibly the cauldron's on the boil the two horns spicing it up.
Inner Games begins rich in harmonies. Soper's solo has more than a suggestion of Miles about it. Guitar and piano are quite mellow when it's their turn whilst Chung stays out of the action - his day will come. Available on DL or LP - that would have been the end of the A-side in the latter format.
The flip side (I'm hep to the jargon) is devoted to a three movement suite - In Time and Spirit opening with Part I. Williams solos over sustained chords from Cox then it's history. Part ll has more going for it. The horns in unison over a riffing rhythm that gradually becomes hypnotic but not enough to offer distraction.
Part lll begins with Soper, at last let loose and he grabs the freedom given with a workout 'Trane would have been proud of. Guitar and piano also shine.
Just when you think it's all over there's another 13 or so minutes. In Time and Spirit (in full) seems to be near enough a melange of what's been and gone but not quite. It's spikier and with more cutting edge about it. The whole album had me liking it without knowing why! Certainly Jean de Talhouët's compositions, arrangements and guitar solos were a major factor which, combined with the other five, make ONMO the powerhouse it is.
Worth checking out but don't look for it in the CD rack. Lance
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