Recorded in Neasden rather than in an ashram, with the roar of the North Circular road only a sharp intake of petrol fumes away, there is a bustle and drive about the opening title track of this characteristically energetic album. It's also a work full of sinuous reeds playing, with plenty of clarinet, and a fine opportunity to sample the relative newcomer, Tori Freestone's work, particularly on flute. But Neame is at pains to allow soloing space for everyone without it ever seeming contrived. By this reckoning the album is a collective exploration rather than a corny showcase for individuals. There's also a spread of interests and little diversions, with the Robocopinspired ‘American Jesus’, for instance, featuring Neame's accordion playing. Bassist Jasper Høiby provides an openplan type of musical architecture that fans of Phronesis will be familiar with, so there's a lot of width to the writing, and it has a seriousness that is not at all oppressive. Fundamentally Neame shows that he has ideas as a composer that go way beyond just writing tunes: he seems to know how to create a narrative arc in the arrangements of his own material for one thing. There is also a virtuosic artistry at play that lifts this album to heights that compare favourably with what Django Bates had achieved at an equivalent stage of his career. It's that good.