Self-titled albums tend to have an air of self-declaration about them: “This is who we are.” In the case of Setting, the emphasis is on “we.” The instrumental trio from North Carolina has already been around for a while, with one previous studio album and three Bandcamp/merch-table live recordings under its collective belt. The members of Setting, however, have been around a lot longer. Synth player Jaime Fennelly helmed Mind Over Mirrors; keyboard/banjo/percussion player Nathan Bowles has played with Pelt, Black Twig Pickers and a host of duo partners, as well as projects under his own name; and Joe Westerlund is the drummer to the stars, if your firmament happens to contain Califone, Sylvan Esso and Jake Xerxes Fussell. All three are players who can make their presence known.
Yet, one of the most remarkable things about the music on Setting is the extent to which no one stands out. That’s not to say that there’s no distinctive playing going on. The album’s five tracks are full of cool sounds, like the distortion-begrimed keyboard and gongs at the start of “What Kind Of Fish Is A Turtle” and the Northwest African-vibing banjos and percolating synth that kicks off “Heard A Bubble.” They invariably develop in compelling ways, such as the ongoing introduction of new, tension-amplifying electronic squelches and wails on “Gum Bump.” But these elements don’t push to the front of the mix; rather, they grab you by the ear and pull you into the ensemble’s groovy, spacey, enveloping sound. [Thrill Jockey]
—Bill Meyer
