from BBC Music:
This is a marathon album, despite running for only 45 minutes; a dense, fast meteorite on an edgy sky, brief enough to be indulged in all its frowning intensity. Throughout, Speak build huge constructs of volumes and dynamics. The music never sits still; it’s a snake that twists and turns in the juxtaposition of noise and quietness, light and darkness. Yet the band is tremendously cohesive, shifting as one from heavy improvisational territories down to eloquent writing with a message of unresolved tension. There isn’t a recognisable soloist; the structure is always at the core, with each musician skilfully contributing to the edifice. Indefatigable, Luke Bergman on bass and Chris Icasiano on drums are as much centre stage as Vu’s reverb-laden trumpet or Andrew Swanson’s muscular saxophone.
Continue reading at BBC Music: