4 out of 5

Label: After Hours

Produced by: Doug Scharin

Scharin’s HiM is all about momentum, letting a groove ride out until it can find its opening to shift into another; the grand jazz tradition of playing to the vibe, funneled through a seasoned Chicago dude’s post-rock past.  But of course this style wasn’t born overnight, and its evolved over labels and releases and years, starting from rather abstract beginnings up through Perishable Records-years jazzified releases, and winding up (currently) in a very world-music collaborative arena.  5/6 in Dub was part of a shift toward a more groove / electronic sensibility, the ‘Dub’ in the title certainly a fair stylistic tag to which the album could be anchored, although it’s far enough removed that that shouldn’t chase you away if dub ain’t your thing.  (Note: it ain’t mine.)

The three tracks here work really well together, though the overwhelming mutating energy of opener Five might’ve been more sensible as the closer, my one complaint here being that the album chills out after this first song and then just hangs there.  Once you understand not to anticipate a big conclusion, you can appreciate the subtleties – the tracks are certainly amazingly composed – and get with the flow, but I still think a track flip-flop would’ve made a difference.

Five follows up on the jazziness of prior releases, but steps excitingly through so many little changes in its 15 minute runtime that it’s worth an album of songs on its own.  Mid-track Representation of a Rhythm We Cannot Escape chills out and brings in the electronic influence with some clipped beats, acting as a warmup for closer Six.  Six is compelling, coming out of its shell ever briefly every couple of minutes until about the 8 minute mark when it finally opens up.  In both cases, there’s a lot of restraint and control going on, and the more you give the tracks a go, the richer they become.

A good starting point for the uninitiated – sort of a midpoint between larger stylistic changes – but also an absolutely rewarding EP for followers.