Sudden Dusk by Archer

Sudden Dusk is the recorded debut of Archer, a working band comprised of four singular voices on the international improvised music scene.

Guitarist Terrie Ex may be best known for his decades of work in the Dutch punk band The Ex, but his abilities as an improviser are prodigious. The urgency of his playing and a complete irreverence to form or narrative, coupled with a wild imagination and a Dadaist sense of humor, turn him into a rare bird in the field of improvised music – an actual improviser. His longstanding work with legends of the worldwide community includes ongoing collaborations with Han Bennink, Ab Baars, Ken Vandermark, Jaap Blonk, Paal Nilssen-Love, and Ethiopian superstar Getachew Mekurya. And although he may be the “elder stateman” in this formation, it’s his fundamental curiosity and dedicated role as provocateur that helps the band deconstruct and dispose of improvisatory tropes.

Dave Rempis is a saxophonist who’s developed a wide-ranging palette across his decades as an anchor of the Chicago scene. From Brötzmann-like blasts of sound that he can sustain over the long- term like few living saxophonists, to pointillistic explorations of texture and timbre, his broad arsenal is the perfect foil to match that of Ex. The two together might spiral upwards into the stratosphere at one moment, and alight like a bee on a flower the next.

From the back line, a powerhouse Norwegian rhythm section drives the momentum forward. Jon Rune Strøm and Tollef Østvang are known for their work together in bands like Universal Indians (with Joe McPhee), and All Included (w/Martin Küchen), as well as in the renowned Norwegian quintet Friends & Neighbors. Strøm has also been a frequent partner of drummer Paal Nilssen- Love in his Large Unit, and in the Frode Gjerstad Trio, while Østvang’s CV includes work with Mars Williams, Trevor Watts, Ben Lamar Gay, and jaimie branch.

Sudden Dusk was recorded live in Chicago and Milwaukee at the start of a two-week US tour in April of 2024. And you can tell the band is ready to bust out the gate after waiting a year to regroup since their 2023 debut tour in Norway. With Strøm’s muscular lines ever leading the charge, and Østvang providing both momentum and texture, Rempis and Ex streak back and forth across that sky in a tenacious dogfight.

It’s not all bursts of sonic lighting though. There’s a depth and soulfulness on display in the quieter sections of the music like the piece Half Stack that demonstrate the patience of richly seasoned players basking in simplicity. Subtleties of tone and timbre float over a repetitive guitar ostinato, providing a gorgeous counterpoint to the spikier sections of tracks like Omen and Bright Side. Overall it’s a carefully calibrated balance between the pent up energy of baited breath, and the slow release of a long exhale.