The third release from Salt Lake City improvisationalists Theta Naught is a bit of a departure from their previous material. Released under the dual monikers of both Theta Naught and spoken word artist Alex Caldiero, Sound Weave essentially dedicates Disc 1 to Caldiero's poetry and Disc 2 to the band's familiar instrumental sound. Packaged as a single LP, a 'bonus disc' with another 40 minutes-plus of purely instrumental jams is included.
Theta Naught make it expressly clear that they record completely live and improvisational. This is without a doubt impressive when examining their compositions but is especially amazing when listening to the production value. With the exception of Caldiero's somewhat overbearing voice, every piece of the band sounds extremely-well mixed. Yet, the overbearingness of his voice becomes a large distraction. It's not that his spoken word offerings don't fit with the style of Theta Naught, but rather that the subtlety of the instrumentation becomes lost. This is not to say that the combination never gels. Caldiero is never treated as a novelty by the band; his poetry is at the forefront of every track that he appears on - even offering the unaccompanied "To Harpo Marx in Heavan," which is also one of the best poems on the CD. However, poems such as "Harpo" and "That One" beg the listener to question whether Caldiero's delivery is serious or tongue-in-cheek. This trend continues with the trio of nonsensical lyrics shoved together on "How Long Did it Last," "How We Sound Together," and "Animal." Caldiero's intense howls on "Memory Sees in Slices" and the introductory "The Invitation" are highlights that could provide a roadmap for where this combination could go on future CDs.
Although billed as the 'bonus disc,' Disc 2 of Sound Weave will probably be more enjoyable than its counterpart to most listeners. However, don't be fooled by the alternate titles - these tracks are the same recordings as heard on Disc 1. Yet without Caldiero's voice, it is quite easy to mistake these as completely new compositions. There is a newfound tension in quieter tracks that was not present while vocals accompanied the instrumentation, and "I Do All" and "Subtracting Up" are now able to break that tension quite well. However, some listeners will yearn for Caldiero's unmistakable voice after spending an hour with him on Disc 1.
If Theta Naught can improvise songs of this caliber, one can only imagine what would come out of a proper studio release with pre-written compositions - something especially true if they are planning to have future collaborations with a vocalist.
