Happy to say that the music on the upcoming young guitarist Kalle Kalima’s new album High Noon for the German label ACT is a lot more tasteful than the grizzly visuals on the CD sleeve as skewered by fellow scribe Spencer Grady in last month’s Art Failure column. There are stylistic similarities here to Bill Frisell’s new film and TV soundtrack-themed album also reviewed this month. He’s a curious, open-minded experimenter who makes explicit the influence of country music and related sounds of Americana on the recording. But the Finnish Berlin-based musician is less about soundscaping. The trio features the ex-Ornette Coleman, LA-based bassist Greg Cohen who had a big hand in the track selection. Kalima for his part, shows strong character, leading the line assertively and soloing with a natural spontaneity on a set spanning classic Western film soundtracks by Dimitri Tiomkin (including the 1952 title track) through to a songbook repertoire ranging from Finnish through to American folk and popular song, including Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. Kalima’s resourcefulness with the familiar effects of country rock makes this an enjoyable listen.