Jonquil

‘Jonquil’ follows ‘Thulian’s’ minor-key weight with a sharp change of pace, and the contrast is well-judged. A waltz-time blues-rock instrumental, it has a spring-loaded momentum that shouldn’t work in 3/4 and somehow feels completely natural. The electric guitar leads with the kind of crunchy, conversational phrasing you hear in early Robben Ford, all rapid-fire runs and double-stop fills that talk back to the rhythm section rather than just riding over it. At two and a half minutes it earns its length, cycling through nine tight sections without overstaying its welcome. The brighter major-key feel and compressed energy function as a reawakening after the slower reflective depths of ‘Thulian,’ and the shift gives the final two tracks something to build from. A confident, well-built little instrumental that holds the room.