Currents, Constellations

Following the release of Nels Cline's expansive Blue Note debut Lovers which found him fronting a 23-piece ensemble arranged by Michael Leonhart, the Wilco guitarist pares it down to The Nels Cline 4 for his latest project Currents, Constellations. The album features Cline alongside fellow guitarist and frequent collaborator Julian Lage, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Tom Rainey on a set of seven Cline originals plus one piece by composer Carla Bley. It's a showcase of Cline's versatility that veers from rollicking rock energy to avant-garde explorations to ballads of serene beauty.