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(Peter Buffett (along with David Arkenstone, Colin Chin, Bruce Mitchell and Carol Nethen) was one of the artists who anchored Narada's "electronic music" sub-label, Mystique, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He's back (after recording a series of Native American-influenced CDs) once again with the same kind of music that earned him a dedicated legion of fans back then. Those listeners who long for the days of albums like Lost Frontier, The Waiting, and One By One, have cause to celebrate. Triathlon is the soundtrack for a documentary film about the fledgling sport and the music certainly conveys a strong visual sense - as the three albums mentioned above also did (especially my favorite, Lost Frontier). I was ecstatic when I listened to Triathlon and discovered that the "magic" which is uniquely Buffett's is back! Long-time session guitarist Peter Maunu (who released an album of his own on Narada, the overlooked Warm Sound in a Grey Field) guests on three cuts, but this is more or less all Peter on the recording. He still has that full-on approach to composing with his trademark elements of orchestral-sounding motifs as well as production that is spacious and densely-layered. On Triathlon, he taps into various moods, tempos, and musical styles, ranging from assaultive instrumental rock to new age to jazz-rock fusion to slick accessible contemporary instrumental music. I enjoyed listening to all but two cuts, and who knows, they may grow on me in time. "Get A Hold of Yourself" starts the album with a funky rhythm section, choppy funk guitar, and assorted keyboard textures, but all of it done in a more somber, minor-key fashion - interesting way to start the CD. Next is a cut that will surely make long-time Buffett fans smile. "Aqua Marine" has a sprightly uptempo drum track, Hammond organ chords and riffing, chugging bass beats, twinkling synth bells, and a delightful sense of playfulness. "All the Time You Need" blends wordless choral samples, a midtempo shuffling rhythm and a wistful melody line carried by piano and keys. These three songs signal the start to a satisfying and likable album from the first playing onward. Later tracks, like "Reversal of Fortune," show that Peter isn't afraid to throw his fans a change-up from what has come before. Maunu's guitar work on this cut (deliciously crunchy) is counterpointed by plaintive echoed-piano by Peter and a solid underlying rhythm track. "Race Day" opens ominously subdued - one can almost imagine the athletes following routines and superstitions - until the song erupts in a flurry of blistering guitar, dialing up the intensity to fever pitch, before subsiding into a quiet passage again, and then re-ascending the power curve once more. "Drip" is evidence that Buffett has been listening to some of the more hard core ambient artists of late, as the overtly radical beats of the track are played out against an almost tropical-sounding melody, before Maunu enters the fray with his guitar playing. My favorite section of the album is a series of four-in-a-row tracks that begins with "Spin Cycle." These four songs form a mini-suite of sorts that covers uptempo haunting music ("Spin Cycle"), frenetic high-speed electronica ("Back Draft"), laid-back jazzy ambient ("Touch the Clouds") and prototypical Buffett EM, blending piano with layers of other keyboards and rhythm ("Looking Back"). While, as I said, I don't love everything here (some of the guitar work is too "in your face" for my taste - although it never truly grates on me - it just seems over-done at times), Triathlon is still a real treat for the ears. I would love to hear while watching the film - and I hope to someday do just that. In the meantime, with this album, Peter Buffett has signaled that he is still able to compose and perform some of the better contemporary instrumental electronic music around. While not reaching the stellar heights of Lost Frontier, the album is proof positive that his talent is still in full bloom. Buffett is now recording in his third decade and, with any luck, he'll be gracing us with great music for another ten years - at least! review by Bill Binkelman |