Shoes and Radios Attract Paint

Richard Thomas' album debut is anything but easy listening, fusing disjointed shards of treated trumpet and saxophone with snatched bits of vocal and found sound, sparse analog electronics, the clanging throws of a disembodied drumkit, and loping bass figures. The result is, if forced to commit, something like minimalist ambient free jazz, but then that's no less complicated than saying it never really settles into recognizable form, which is ultimately what makes it so rewarding. The perfect length at just under 50 minutes, Shoes and Radios is arranged like a series of film shorts, moving through blended atmospheres and studio poltergeistery both noisy and charmingly at ease.