PROUDENTALL

An unexpected mix of King Crimson-style progressive jams and Talking Heads-like new-wave tunes, What’s Happening Here unveils several facets of Proudentall’s personality. Three of the album’s 10 tracks are instrumentals: One builds to a sweeping crescendo (“Instrumental Like a Coupon”), another slowly spreads out its decadence (“Live Drawing Dead Winter”), and finally an intricate and complex composition winds down countless melodic paths (“Breeze”). This leads into the album’s closer, a mix of whispered vocals and dream-sequence jazz titled “Winter Dead Drawing Live.” Of the new-wave numbers, the mildly funky “The Blood Race” is the most lively, while “Kill Myself” starts with an intricate guitar line, brings in a satisfying rush of noise, then recedes during the low-key chorus. Other than “1002,” an otherwise enjoyable track marred by annoying spoken/sung vocals, these selections successfully meld together diverse elements. With What’s Happening Here, Proudentall proves that it continues to mature while it delivers the hooks and adventurous instrumentation that has earned the band its solid reputation over the past four years.