Adelaide bassist, producer, and composer Ross McHenry firmly pilots a dynamic ride through heady turbulence, sunny brightness, and mellow exhalations on his self-produced fourth album. He wrote Nothing Remains Unchanged at an artist colony in Banff, Canada—and the mountainous landscape, along with the peaceful isolation it provided, induced the deep reflection that inspired these recordings. That vastness can be experienced on “Processional,” the album’s transportive centerpiece, which slowly builds on piano trickles and saxophonic melodrama to a brief, electrifying pinnacle around six minutes in, before retreating back into meditative rumble. His collaborators enjoy equal time in the spotlight: “Perspectives” showcases Matthew Sheens’ piano talents, while the balance between McHenry’s nimble basslines and Ben Wendel’s scene-stealing sax elevate the tender “Woods” and hometown homage “Adelaide.” McHenry’s diverse influences come out on “This I Give to You”—a sprawling, subtle ballad that evolves into indie-rock-style progressions, and which wouldn’t have felt out of place during Radiohead’s Amnesiac period—and album closer “Highway Morning,” on which drummer Eric Harland’s relaxed, bluesy rhythms evoke soulful heartland rock, making for a surprising, satisfying end to this remarkable record.
More By Ross McHenry
- Andy Milne & Unison
- Ant Law
- Jesse Fischer