Net of Atoms

Limited edition 12″ vinyl, printed on reverse board sleeve, with a 12″ insert of drawings and notes by the artist.

Net of Atoms is a new album from Otis Jordan, drawing closely from the previous two albums for Them There – Dodger Point (2020) and Restless Guests (2022) – Jordan delivers his most ambitious and well articulated full length work to date, perfectly rounding off a trio of releases for the label.

The Glasgow based band leader has remained active since his last outing for Them There with contributions to the ongoing research project Folklore Tapes’ most recent V/A compilations and a split tape for the nascent ‘Ceremonial County’ series on the label. Most notably and surprising perhaps was his recent collaboration with Sam Mcloughlin’s Hood Faire imprint ‘Early Experiments in Recording Vol 1 (1976 – 2021)’ – a compilation which Jordan curated that unearthed early recordings from a slew of experimental heads and many now renowned in their field musicians.

More so than ever before, the songs on Net of Atoms stomp sure-footedly through the meandering instrumental textures of Otis Jordan’s vivid musical landscape. Ever off-kilter and unpredictable – violin motifs, clarinet themes and hammered found sounds disappear into the mist as suddenly as they arrived leaving behind breadcrumbs to be picked back up later. Recurring variations on melodic themes act as waymarks through the webs of rhythms and resonance as each short scene side-steps into a new tempo and timbre rewarding repeat listens.

“This is the most ‘song’ based album I’ve ever made, with vocals on nearly all of the tracks” says Jordan – and the voice does also help guide the listener, although the vocal lines remain linear and consistently curious, rarely repeating. Instrumentally, any given moments can swiftly abscond from smokey Jazz feels to Captain Beefheart-y low-key Psych and freeform Folk ditties recalling the early noughts ‘Twisted Nerve’ jams of Aidan Smith and frequent collaborator Samandtheplants. All the while compounded by a restless forward drive that seems determined to explore the furthest reaches of this exotic sound world.

Once again Jordan assembles a multitude of esteemed musician friends for the assignment. Many of the players from the ‘Restless Guests’ live session return including the nimble Moondog-esque percussive touches of Finn Rosenbaum, locally renowned virtuoso DBH offers up some violin and Lost Map’s Molly Linen returns to lend her dulcet, whispered tones on the track ‘Pendle Hill Conversation’. New friends such as Manchester’s legendary DIY enthusiast Paddy Steer and the trumpeter Hermon Mehari also feature across the album.

For the most part however, Jordan records and composes these crafty, intricate records himself in true DIY style across various home studios from Todmorden to Glasgow and shows no signs of slowing down.