„It would be easy to tie yourself up in philosophical knots about this band and what they do – is it important, is it boundary pushing, is it influential, is it relevant – but none of that matters. Just put this recording on. Listen to it. Let it inhabit the same space as you. Let it influence the colour and tone of the room you are in, let it change your mood and perception. Leave the room, make a cup of tea, come back, read a book, make love, write a letter; it will have changed; it will have stayed the same.
Even by The Necks‘ standards, Open feels intensely pure; drummer Tony Buck said in a Guardian interview a decade ago „I really, really love playing the drums. I’ve been doing it for more than 30 years and I enjoy it more than I ever did.“ It’s more than 40 years now, and that love doesn’t seem to have diminished one iota; there is great love for music, for sound, for expression, right through the heart of this record, in Lloyd Swanton’s bass and Chris Abraham’s piano, in the movements they make together, the sound they produce. Open is magical, calming, intriguing, beautiful. It makes me smile to listen to it.“
(Nick Southall, the full review in thequietus.com)