Nels Cline Consentrik Quartet
Nels Cline's Consentrik Quartet frames a pandemic-reflective journey that moves between fragile balladry and raucous collective improvisation, and critics largely agree it rewards close listening. Across three professional reviews the record earned a 77.67/100 consensus score, with praise repeatedly aimed at the quartet's interplay and the tension between ethereal and muscular moods. The Returning Angel, The 23 and Slipping Into Something emerge as recurrent highlights, while Allende and Down Close are singled out for their mysterious atmospherics and playful energy.
Critics note the album's debt to free-form tradition and jazz hard-bop impulses, tempered by gentle dynamics and rhythmic experimentation. Pitchfork and Glide point to tight group interplay and patient restraint on tracks such as “The Returning Angel” and “The 23”, where Laubrock and Rainey act as catalytic presences. PopMatters emphasizes the record's contrasts - from haunting backwards figures on “Inner Wall” to punk-ish bite on “Satomi” - and celebrates how songs like “Down Close” and “The Bag” translate studio invention into boisterous grooves.
While some reviewers register moments that overstay their welcome, the prevailing critical consensus frames Consentrik Quartet as a compelling document of collaborative quartet interplay: an album where improvisation, mysterious atmosphere and disciplined restraint coexist. For readers searching a concise verdict on whether Consentrik Quartet is worth attention, professional reviews point to a record whose best songs reward repeated spins and close attention to group dynamics.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
The Returning Angel
3 mentions
""The Returning Angel" opens the record with grace and a slight undercurrent of tension"— PopMatters
Allende
2 mentions
"There are floating, ethereal moments on tracks like the airy "Allende""— PopMatters
The 23
3 mentions
"But things get a little rowdier with the freewheeling syncopation of "The 23""— PopMatters
"The Returning Angel" opens the record with grace and a slight undercurrent of tension
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
The Returning Angel
The 23
Surplus
Slipping Into Something
Allende
House Of Steam
Inner Wall
Satomi
The Bag
Down Close
Question Marks (The Spot)
Time Of No Sirens
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In his review voice you can hear both admiration and precision: Nels Cline's Consentrik Quartet rewards listeners with revelatory moments, especially on “The Returning Angel”, “Slipping Into Something” and “Down Close”. The record moves from dreamy ballads to scrambled bedlam and boisterous grooves, and the best songs - notably “The Returning Angel” and “Down Close” - showcase tight group interplay and inspired solos. The reviewer lingers on Laubrock and Rainey as catalytic presences, explaining why those tracks feel like the album's clearest triumphs. Overall, the piece positions these best tracks as concentrated examples of the quartet's audible fun and technical breadth.
Key Points
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The Returning Angel is the best song because it crystallizes the quartet's exquisite group interplay and flexible dynamics.
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The album's core strengths are improvisational breadth and rhythmic adventurousness across ballad and bedlam.
Themes
Critic's Take
Nels Cline’s Consentrik Quartet finds its best moments in tracks like “The Returning Angel” and “The 23”, where steady guitar lines and generous soloing show the quartet at its most compelling. The review savors the airy mystery of “Allende” and the haunting backwards figures on “Inner Wall”, while praising punk-ish bite on “Satomi”. There is particular affection for the playful “Down Close” and the raucous percussive energy of “The Bag”, which together demonstrate why these are frequently the best tracks on Consentrik Quartet.
Key Points
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The best songs pair Cline’s steady guitar with evocative solos and ensemble interplay, notably on "The Returning Angel" and "The 23".
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The album’s core strengths are adventurous quartet interplay, blending hard bop tradition with experimental, ethereal, and punk-inflected moments.
Themes
Critic's Take
Nels Cline’s Consentrik Quartet finds its best moments in the patient interplay of pieces like “The Returning Angel” and “The 23”, where the ensemble’s restraint and adventurous spirit cohere. The record often favors mysterious atmosphere and gentle dynamics - hear it in “House Of Steam” and “Allende”, which let Cline’s muted noise and the horn lines breathe. Even when the set occasionally overstays its welcome, the band’s interplay and the purposeful sequencing make it clear why listeners ask about the best songs on Consentrik Quartet.
Key Points
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The Returning Angel is the best song for its quietly reflective opening and patient interplay between guitar and horn.
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The album’s core strengths are the quartet’s patient interplay, mysterious atmosphere, and purposeful sequencing despite occasional overlong passages.