"Tiger's Dance". Crunchy start. Jarring almost dissonant mixing of sounds from guitar to drums to a squelchy wah-wah thing, guitar or synth. This is perhaps the most oddball track on the album. #nguyenle #silkandsand

"Thar Desert Dawn". Sylvain Barou on flute, very evocative atop a spectral soundscape. Low distant bass drum. Bright forward intricately syncopated instrument like small rutes. Lê's guitar emerges right out of Barou's flute. This track continues the series of three uniquely strong mixes. Nice time change going into the last minute and a half. Completes the journey from the lone flute in the desert to a celebratory communion. #nguyenle #silkandsand

"Baraka". Very bewitching bassline intro solo. Subsequent electric guitar and percussion all share similarly rattly and close-miked sound. Another good mix. Virtuosic fast funky bass solo followed by a freewheeling electric guitar solo. #nguyenle #silkandsand

Next track ("Moonstone") begins with what I confess I think at first might be Paolo Fresu on flugelhorn but I look down to see is Miron Rafajlovic on trumpet. Very good layering of Rafajlovic to create something more like a section sound. In general, though, this is a comparatively more stripped back (though by no means simple) and laid-back piece. #nguyenle #silkandsand

Second song, the title track, "Silk and Sand", starts off in a different timbral direction. The progressive blend between the initial sound of a jangly acoustic guitar with Lê's unique melismatic semi-hollowbody electric guitar is seemless. The result approaches in a highly natural fashion the overall co-resonant layering of a sitar. #nguyenle #silkandsand

First song, "Red City", opens with some very impressive playing, reconfirming that Nguyên Lê is one of the most gifted and versatile guitarists we've been graced with. Tone. Check. Articulation and phrasing. Check. Constant experimentation. Check. Also an interesting use of a vocal loop in this song. #nguyenle #silkandsand

There's a new Nguyên Lê album recently out, Silk and Sand! I'm finally going to give it a first listen. Maybe I'll make this a thread of my thoughts. #nguyenle #silkandsand #newalbum #listenthread