Go

Amid the Noise is a moody, ethereal, bliss out sort of disc—qualities that are something of a surprise coming, as they are, from a percussion ensemble. But on this outing, So Percussion is playing with the delicate side of the largely tuned percussion in their arsenal. The tracks are lovely, and at this level of minimalist approach, the music risks too easily fading into the background if you’re not mindful. When taken as an album, So Percussion’s 12 tracks (all composed by ensemble member Jason Treuting) might lull the listener so deeply as to loose hold on their ear, but one at a time they are little bits of snowflaky beauty. The nearly seven-minute Go is one of the more complex tracks on the album, making shifts in energy and instrumentation, though the toy piano often commands the timbral palette. There’s even a music video up on YouTube.

—MS