Alternately exhilarating and frustrating, Music for Pictures collects 29 pieces culled and tweaked from multi-instrumentalist Trey Gunn's film and television work. The King Crimson alum-renowned for his use of the 10-string Warr Guitar, a tapped instrument with a wide range-recruited a lineup of heavy-duty drummers to record these works between 2003 and 2008.
The result is Brian Eno-like aural snapshots, ranging in length from less than 60 seconds to 21 minutes. From Peter Gabriel-style tribal rhythms ("Bridge Over a Red Sky") and acoustic fervor ("Field Raiders") to vocal incantations ("The Silver Bough") and sonic detritus ("The Ghosts Listen"), the songs come off as compelling but incomplete. Gunn at least could have provided more context for each piece in the liner notes. And if he "severely manipulated" these sounds as much as he claims, couldn't he also have fleshed them out a bit more? Many would have made worthy tunes.
