RESONANCE is the third studio album from Eyeshutight and in terms of production, presentation and execution, their most polished offering.

The band follow the classic piano trio format with Paul Baxter on double bass, Johnny Tomlinson on piano and Kris Wright on drums, but their music is not what you’d necessarily expect from this line-up.

Instead, we have relaxed hip-hop drum beats with lush piano chords onAddict and menacing piano and double bass unison lines that owe as much to genre-bending metal acts such as Meshuggah as they do to anything from the jazz world.

The album occasionally has a subdued, almost melancholic feel. The Precipice and the final section of RE: Sounds would sit comfortably with fans of shoe-gazers such as Jesu and Stebmo, with their slow moving harmonies and subtle improvisations.

Tomlinson works with DJ Bonobo and you can hear this influence. His use of expansive piano chords fills the sound without being intrusive while Baxter and Wright hold together complex, odd-time signature grooves. Improvisation plays a big part on the album but solos don’t come and go as in your normal jazz standard.

Resonance may not appeal to the traditional swing lover, but bands such as Eyeshutight help attract audiences from other genres by refusing to stick to the common format. Don’t miss the band at The Unitarian Chapel in York on November 22.

 - John Marley