More jazz, less laptop… and make it dark. That’s the credo for the latest release from ~scape. Navigating the grey waters between freeform jazz and abstract minimalism, this Australian trio takes fusion into the lightless depths where few have gone before. The Miles-inspired horns of “Pretender’s Hand” flow like silk one instant, and evoke languid desolation on tracks like “Death and Possible Dreams” the next, as percussionist Laurence Pike (Triosk) brings just the right level of snap or sizzle. Understated yet ever-present are the facile electronic manipulations emanating from Dave Miller’s computer, complementing each Bohemian sonic stream with some superbly unnatural processing. Near Misses is sad yet sublime, like metal flowers rusting in the rain.