Anyone familiar with the name of Andrew Keeling might well be so through a context other than his music, not least as the author of studies on several of King Crimson’s progressive rock albums from the 1970s. Those apprehensive of half-baked crossover, however, need not worry, as Keeling’s output is nothing if not rigorous in its application of principles and trenchant in formal evolution: modal tonality devoid of the chauvinistic overtones often associated with such thinking.

With its inspiration in Schubert, Present (2006) might appear beholden to the classic string quartet literature, yet there is little that fulfils such expectations in music whose juxtaposition of contrasted motion and expression cuts across the four-movement trajectory such that the piece unfolds with purposeful underlying momentum. If Unquiet Earth (2005) feels less convincing, this may be because of its overtly discursive content, in which the more incisive passages seem added in to the prevailing introspection rather than emerging inevitably out of it. Beacon Hill (2010) conjures an ominous atmosphere from its instrumental septet, in contrast to the inscrutably abstract progress of You Cut the String (2008), with its timbral exploration of the five-string electric violin multitracked and ‘looped’ in a manner recalling Robert Fripp’s hypnotic guitar soundscapes. Dedicated performances, not least from the ever-inquiring Steve Bingham, and crystal-clear sound make for a highly recommendable release – though Spaceward should desist from printing booklet annotations in upper case against a marbled background in future.