The Six Parts Seven

The Six Parts Seven

Things Shaped in Passing (Suicide Squeeze) Luckily, music this good does not need -- indeed defies -- categorization. The sublime and meandering tracks on The Six Parts Seven's Things Shaped in Passing cannot be accurately pinned down as anything pop or rock, and they certainly aren't jazz or classical. Repetition of melody leads to variation on theme leads to long, sparingly developed compositions that develop and flow in almost unnoticeable, organic fashion. What this all boils down is something so beautiful it hurts. The Kent, Ohio-based outfit understands that when music is stripped down to near silence, every part comes into sharper focus, every note carries a greater weight. A tiny piano sequence inserted at just the right place, like that perfect plinking in "The Want and the Waiting," makes all the difference in the world. Locals might compare this to former Austin band Paul Newman; others may hear faint echoes of Yo La Tengo or even recent Bill Frisell. Patient guitars and drums that focus as much on space between sounds as on advancing the beat create a calm, consistent world where the subtle input of piano and lap steel seem like new life with every phrase. Music to live by. (Friday, March 15, Buffalo Billiards, 9pm)