Wingfield Reuter Sirkis - Lighthouse album review

Wingfield Reuter Sirkis - Lighthouse album artwork

Some albums say hello with a gentle introduction while others grab you by the lapels. Lighthouse, born from a single improvised session without overdubs and only the most minimal post‑production editing, sits in the latter category. Hailing from the UK, Germany and Israel respectively, the unwavering velocity and momentum generated by this international trio within the album’s opening seconds remain irresistible. Although entirely spontaneous, each of the seven tracks possesses the structure and dynamic foundations of composed material. Throughout, Mark Wingfield coaxes unorthodox textures and long, snaking melodic lines from his guitar. Capable of moving between a luminous beauty to snarling, barbed ferocity within a moment means he’s well-equipped to respond to the variegated backdrops fashioned by Asaf Sirkis’ driving rhythm and Markus Reuter’s bulldozing bass patterns. With occasional echoes of early King Crimson’s roving angularities surfacing through their intense exchanges, as their punchy, racing grooves seamlessly dovetail with simmering atmospherics, there’s an exhilarating unpredictability present here.

Sid's feature articles and reviews have appeared in numerous publications including Prog, Classic Rock, Record Collector, Q, Mojo and Uncut. A full-time freelance writer with hundreds of sleevenotes and essays for both indie and major record labels to his credit, his book, In The Court Of King Crimson, an acclaimed biography of King Crimson, was substantially revised and expanded in 2019 to coincide with the band’s 50th Anniversary. Alongside appearances on radio and TV, he has lectured on jazz and progressive music in the UK and Europe.

A resident of Whitley Bay in north-east England, he spends far too much time posting photographs of LPs he's listening to on Twitter and Facebook.