Cadence Magazine
Review: Ken Aldcroft/Joel LeBlanc
"The Long and the Short of it" (TRP-DS02-016)
BY: Dustin Mallory

This duo offering from guitarists Aldcroft and LeBlanc is two sets of long and short interactions that explore the improvisational bounds of musical libertarianism. The whole album makes use of non-functional harmony, approached in a free manner. However, the language is heavily steeped in the institution of traditionalism, and some of its functionality is encapsulated therein. The two guitarists regularly take on differing personalities to set apart their sonorities during the exchange. Sometimes harmonic soundscapes are used while electronic effects such as tremolos and volume swells can be heard at other times. In "The Long (I)," one guitarist generates the effects landscape while the other creates a "pecked melody" that meanders without the expectation of a destination. "The Long (II)" captures both guitarists as they weave the melodic lines. Their lines stitch together evenly before evolving into a mood-based soundscape. The sonic result is sometimes hectic while playful at other times. Both musicians are adventurous and each one provides a nice compliment to the other.