Evasion is the first EP from Xtra Colours, made up of local chameleon Keith Beaver, whose various projects have explored Americana, echoing, quiet grunge and now contemplative electronica. Beaver’s consistency is in his attention to detail. Xtra Colours weaves electronic samples of piano, flute and other calming timbres into collage-like compositions. Using timing and restraint, Beaver creates narratives of confidence and introspection with staggered sounds and quiet repetition that build naturally into pleasing completion.
Urban, insular and maybe best heard through headphones, the beats sidestep the chaos of interaction and the temptation to build into a frenzy, giving context to the EP’s wary title and peace to the listener. At only four tracks, Evasion is short and somewhat discontinuous, but put in the right order and plus a few more tracks, a full-length album could tell a story both fascinating and true.
But Beaver’s track record indicates he might not stay in the zone of Xtra Colours for too long, and viewed purely as a one-off, Evasion is intricate and whole; a well-executed experiment from a curious talent. 3 out of 5.
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