Week 29
REVERSE IMAGE & THOMAS BEY WILLIAM BAILEY – TOKOKAWA (CD by Fourth Dimension) *
INNOVATIVE LANDSCAPES LABORATORY – SPONTANEOUS DIMENSIONS (CD by Sublime Retreat) *
KAKERLAK – OBDORMITION (CD by DaDa Drumming) *
KAZUMOTO ENDO – AT THE CONTROLS (CD by DaDa Drumming) *
KASPER T. TOEPLITZ & ENSEMBLE PHOENIX BASEL – RUPTURE AND DISSIPATION (CD by Bocian Records) *
KLEIN/ROSALY/WARELIS – TENDRESSE (CD by Relative Pitch Records) *
MARGARIDA GARCIA AND MANUEL MOTA – DOMESTIC SCENE (LP by Feeding Tube Records) *
ALAN REGARDIN – RITUAL TONES (LP by Ormo Records) *
AIDAN BAKER & DEAD NEANDERTHALS – CAST DOWN AND HUNTED (LP by Moving Furniture Records) *
CALUM BUILDER – RENEWAL MANIFESTATION (LP by Dacapo Records) *
RL HUBER – MEMORIES OF FALLING (CDR, private) *
MINES – WARM & SAFE (CDR by Lavendersweep Records) *
HAMA AZATA (CDR, private) *
MEMORY DRAWINGS – DEATHBED REQUESTS (CDR by Sound In Silence) *
PANOPTIQUE ELECTRICAL – FOR YEARS (CDR by Sound In Silence) *
THE GREEN KINGDOM – ARCADIAN (CDR by Sound In Silence) *
JARR – ALL THESE PAST LIVES (CDR by Sound In Silence) *
KRAUSEN YPSMAEL – MUGRESS (cassette by Steep Gloss) *
ERICA DAWN LYLE – COLONIAL MOTELS (cassette by Notice Recordings) *
DEREK BARON-LUKE MARTIN – DISTINCT AND CONCEALED (cassette by Notice Recordings) *
TAMARISK – COMES FROM FAR AWAY FROM HERE (cassette by Notice Recordings) *
EVAN LINDORFF-ELLERY – CYMBALS AND NIGHT (cassette by Aloe Records) *
SID WERNER – THE HUM (cassette by The Numeral)
REVERSE IMAGE & THOMAS BEY WILLIAM BAILEY – TOKOKAWA (CD by Fourth Dimension)
About a year ago, I reviewed a CD by Malaysia-based musician Y’ng-Yin Siew who goes by the name Reverse Image (and also works as Fallen Sun), see Vital Weekly 1397. Here she teams up with Thomas Bey William Bailey, who recently resurfaced after a long time of absence (Vital Weekly 1432). Music by either musician deals with analogue modular synthsis and real-time digital processing. For Bailey this real-time aspect seems to be a break from the more studied collages of sounds, involving a lot of editing. Now, the collage aspect is done live and not always applies hard cuts and abrupt changes, but through fading, short and long. That means the overall result is a bit different from his previous work, and I haven’t heard enough other music by Reverse Image to call it a break. There are three pieces here, seven, 12 and 27 minutes, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the longer ones are the result of collaging various interactions into one composition, as opposed to having all of this played live. At times it has that unmistakenly live feeling of working with modular synthesis, totally free and a bit too long in the same place, and they sprinkle quite some reverb about for the much needed atmospheric effect. In some instances they reach for the noise end of the spectrum, a well-received different take on the whole musique concrète side of the rest of the music. Musique concrète but with the feeling of live interaction, which makes it not a carbon copy of the original musique concrète modus. Not every second is great but I found this album a most entertaining and pleasant one. (FdW)
––– Address: https://fourthdimensionrecords.bigcartel.com/
INNOVATIVE LANDSCAPES LABORATORY – SPONTANEOUS DIMENSIONS (CD by Sublime Retreat)
With much of the music on the pages, we find it on record labels, in which the label boss also acts as a musician. Until today, I didn’t know this fact was true for Sublime Retreat, but Taras Opanasiuk now comes out of the woodwork as Innovative Landscapes Laboratory. It’s interesting to see what he does as part of the overall sound for his label. Since he started the label, there has been an exciting string of atmospheric electronics releases, heavily processed field recordings, and somewhat dark ambient sounds. In his work, Opanasiuk uses recordings of many hours at the Eurorack modular system, feeding samples and electronic sounds to this. All in the spirit of free improvisation, but not as part of what he wanted on CD. Using the multi-track software Reaper, he combined his recordings and started composing the music. In that sense, his results are quite different from many of the other releases on his label. While by and large, one could say musique concrète is, for many of his artists, one point of reference (usually among many), it’s the alpha and omega in these five pieces. Opanasiuk creates sound collages from whatever he extracted from his Eurorack machines. That modular feeling is the backbone of the music, but by layering, editing, mixing and removing, he creates his own sound world, and the compositions are particularly strong. Unlike the Reverse Image/Bailey CD reviewed elsewhere, this doesn’t feel like ‘live’ collaging but moving big and small sounds around. It took me some turns in listening before I went over and was convinced by the music. Partly because it was different than what I expected from this label, but then later on, I realised it does fit, and it’s a record that both fits the label and does something distinctly different. (FdW)
––– Address: https://sublimeretreat.bandcamp.com/
KAKERLAK – OBDORMITION (CD by DaDa Drumming)
Despite seeing this project passing my timeline and always wondering where his name came from, this is my first encounter with Nolan Throop / Kakerlak’s sound. Yes, sound, not music, as we are talking harsh noise here. It is definitely the kind of harshness that leaves some opening for interpretations and excitement (how the hell did he get this sounds, what the actual fuk is this guy doing, my gawd, this is loud, damn I want it louder). Having written those little remarks, I’m also struggling to write a review with actual content. But lemme try…
Nolan Throop is the guy behind Kakerlak. He is also active under a few other names and in a few groups. One of the musicians he works (ed) with is Sam McKinlay, a.k.a. The Rita, so you will have a little indication of where to look/listen for.
Four tracks with no titles and a total playing time of just under 45 minutes. Sometimes, metal noises with contacts. Sometimes, feedback noises from no-input mixing. Probably a fierce pedalboard with more than one distortion. Every now and then, looped sounds or backing tracks/tapes seep through the mix, giving an old droner like me a little bit of stability.
As for the name, Kakerlak resembles the Dutch word kakkerlak a lot (one ‘k’ difference), where ‘kakkerlak’ means cockroach. I wonder if Nolan has a Dutch or South African background. Does the word have another meaning somewhere? As for the title, “Obdormition” is a medical term for the numbness in a limb (‘my leg is sleeping’) and just that. Because for the brain, listening to this wakes you up. No. Sleep. Til cockroach! (BW)
––– Address: https://dadadrumming.org/
KAZUMOTO ENDO – AT THE CONTROLS (CD by DaDa Drumming)
Dada Drumming has been reviewed several times, most recently in Vital 1393 with the sampler “Capturing The Wind”. The one track that stood out for me was the collaboration between Kazumoto Endo and Kaori Komura. And not too much after – now – there is a total length of Kazumoto Endo with three ear-piercing tracks released, no collaboration, it’s Kazumoto Endo’s “At The Controls”. The cover is a cutup/copy-paste image where he is inside a head with an EMS-like controller. (Insert Nerd modus: I can’t see any pins in the matrix, so I can’t tell you if it’s an actual machine used on this release.)
Three incredible harsh outings of Kazumoto Endo of 15 minutes each, so 45 minutes of pure electronic emotion. “Into the controls”, “At the controls”, and “Out of the controls”. Three variations may be related to a particular set-up or choice of gear because the sound is entirely in sync with this release. Where you sometimes see artists creating completely different settings and generating a familiar sound through mastering, it sounds like, on this one, it’s all related somehow. But I couldn’t tell you what I’ve been listening to.
Loads of hardness, some distortion, but mostly a collage of extremes with moments of silence where less harsh and more subdued or subtle sounds get into the mix for a moment of contemplation. Yes, a moment, because that’s what you might get.
I would interpret this album as Kazumoto Endo went into the session and did a first take to explore his sonic canvas and the chosen set-up or machines (#1). Then, he did a second take where he manipulated everything at the spot better prepared and maybe some pre-recorded sounds to record emotions the way they were at that exact moment (#2). Finally, he did a track where he could incorporate everything into a singular track that is so fukked up loud and intense, with a cup-up harsh noise in sync with the chosen artwork, out of control. Great work. (BW)
––– Address: https://dadadrumming.org/
KASPER T. TOEPLITZ & ENSEMBLE PHOENIX BASEL – RUPTURE AND DISSIPATION (CD by Bocian Records)
Along with this, Toeplitz sent a previous work he did with Daniel Buess, one of the founders of Ensemble Phoenix Basel, who passed away in 2016. I already reviewed that CD in Vital Weekly 965. The ensemble commissioned a piece from Toeplitz (and Karkowski) in 2011 or so (so says Toeplitz), and ‘Rupture & Dissipation’ premiered in 2012. Following Buess’ death, the ensemble performed the piece again, and it was conducted by Toeplitz, who also added live electronics. Part of the latter was recordings from the previous concert, including the percussion of Daniel Buess, so he still had a presence. This 2016 recording is on this CD. The piece has two parts, and on Toeplitz’s website, you can find the score (actually, a lot of scores, so it’s always nice to take a lot at such things when playing the music, much like my father looked at classical scores and finished when the music was, I find such things quite magical). It’s a piece in which Toeplitz asks the ensemble to create dense clouds of sounds, sometimes quiet and intense and occasionally loud and even more intense, like waiting for a rupture in a biblical sense. But there is also dissipation, and both parts end (somewhat) on a slow ever, decaying fade out, moving beyond the horizon. As with many of Toeplitz’s work, noise is an important feature, and even when played by a small ensemble (flutes, clarinet, trumpet, tubax, piano, percussion, guitar, contrabass), the amount of ‘noise’ they produce is considerate. Brutal, sharp tones, deep bass-like drones: this is almost horror music and could fit a good ‘screamo’. At 34 minutes, this is also the proper length for such heavy music, in terms of acoustic noise; at least for me, it is. (FdW)
––– Address: https://bocian.bandcamp.com/
KLEIN/ROSALY/WARELIS – TENDRESSE (CD by Relative Pitch Records)
The debut release of this trio of well-known improvisers. And what a debut it is. Listen to this and let yourself be astonished and taken adrift, yes adrift, because this journey is man oh man on their journey in four pieces. It’s as simple as that. This is chamber jazz to the max without maximum volumes, rather the opposite. ‘Levensnevel’, the second piece and the longest, clocking at almost half an hour, shares the title with an anthology of stories by Dutch writer Kees van Kooten about memories and the past mystified or mistified by the present. ‘Avec toute la tendresse possible’ shares a line with the Crystals’ ‘He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)’ about a woman who is domestically violated (With all the tenderness there is translated into French as ‘Avec toute la tendresse’). The music has a subdued, menacing quality to it, partly due to the use of the contrabass clarinet’s lower registers and the piano’s micro-fanned strings, suitably ending with a suspended unresolved chord. Gestalt switch is the optical illusion of seeing either the image or the other in a drawing, depending on your favourite perspective. The music is the most notable; yes, I know it’s an obsolete word, but it’s fitting for this music. Always in motion, only coming to a temporary standstill midway through the piece, in effect making the gestalt switch. This is, to my ears, chamber jazz of the highest order. The ideas of all three of them, sometimes solo, in duet and many times in trio, man oh man, connect in a way that is more than the sum of its parts. Excellent record. Only one minor detail has been bugging me: at 25:07, there’s a silence of two seconds in Levensnevel, and I don’t know if it’s intentional or not. Oh, and before I forget: also check out Frank Rosaly’s new record with Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and a shitload of guest musicians: Mestizx out on International Anthem. It’s not suited for Vital Weekly, but I think many of you will enjoy this exquisite record just as much as I do. (MDS)
––– Address: https://relativepitchrecords.bandcamp.com/
MARGARIDA GARCIA AND MANUEL MOTA – DOMESTIC SCENE (LP by Feeding Tube Records)
For many years, I have been reviewing music by Manuel Mota, the Portuguese guitarist, who, with every release, is moving further away from the world of improvised music. Or, he gets better and better at using his methods of improvising guitar music that no longer sounds like something improvised. Sometimes, he records with bassist Margarida Garcia, as he does on ‘Domestic Scene’. I have never seen Mota or Garcia in concert, so I have no idea how they play their instruments. There isn’t a single traditional note of guitar music on this record. Are they using bows or objects? And to what extent does amplification play a role in this music? Or the space in which the music is recorded? Questions like this buzz through my head when I play the music, partly because the music blows me away but also simply because I like to know this. On previous occasions, I may have used the term ‘blues’ for Mota’s music, and I am doing it again. In ‘To Pieces’, the opening piece here, the guitar delicately shreds to pieces and sounds like it’s on fire (literally) and slowly decaying in front of us. It’s the album ‘noisiest’ cut. In the other three pieces, disappearance works on a different level. Here, Mota and Garcia go for something much more delicate and quiet, almost on the verge of silence, yet never crossing the threshold of silence. This is ambient music, but a different kind of ambient than you’d expect, whichever way you use the word. It’s not drone, synthesised, static, and without loop devices (well, I believe so, at least), so it’s likely to be very different from any expectations you might have. Is this recorded ‘live’ (with or without an audience), and to what extent is there any post-production, editing and mixing? Something tells me none is the case here; this is all very much an on-the-spot thing. One can tell they honed their craft over the years, and this is another damn fine record. (FdW)
––– Address: https://feedingtuberecords.bandcamp.com/
ALAN REGARDIN – RITUAL TONES (LP by Ormo Records)
I had not heard of Alan Regardin, a musician and composer from Nantes. He performs solo and in bands such as Derby Derby, No Tongues, and Onceim, and he is also behind the Ormo Records label. The three pieces on ‘Ritual Tones’ are three parts of the same piece, which works best when listened to as one long piece (well, with changing the record over). Don’t let the title fool you; this is not necessarily ritual music in the ‘ritualist’ sense. It’s more likely a work of modern and minimal composing. There are four instruments here: the trombone, baritone saxophone, flugelhorn and the positive organ, “an instrument more easily tuned to a particular temperament than larger organs”. The piece(s) were recorded in a church in 2022, and it all sounds wonderful. The pieces are all very slow in development, with slow drones arriving out of the decay of previous ones. Sometimes, these decays go quicker or slower, and they never seem the same for every instrument, so there are constantly changing patterns here, which adds to the work’s simplicity and beauty. There is a very contemplative aspect throughout this record, excellent for some meditation or, perhaps, to fall asleep to, which I did the first time around. Wide awake again and fully on the job of reviewing, I am immersed again in these drones. I admit there is a religious element to the music, solemnly as it all sounds, but ritual and religion might not mean the same thing, so I believe. I am reminded at some points of Ingram Marshall’s ‘Fog Tropes’, but Regardin’s pieces are denser, more complex, and livelier, certainly in the last part of the piece. In that sense, there is a line going from quiet to loud, albeit all in relative terms. It is an excellent record of modern composition and one I once enjoyed very much. (FdW)
––– Address: https://ormorecords.bandcamp.com/
AIDAN BAKER & DEAD NEANDERTHALS – CAST DOWN AND HUNTED (LP by Moving Furniture Records)
It will be a while before it gets released in the open, but we just couldn’t wait to get this review to you. Moving Furniture Records from Amsterdam is releasing this 12″ vinyl with both sides completely maxed out on what is possible time and frequency-wise. This 2023 collaboration between Canadian multi-instrumentalist (emphasis on ‘mental’) Aidan Baker and the Dutch Dynamic Duo Dead Neanderthals.
We all know Aidan’s work solo and, very possibly, his collaborations and side projects. If not, you kinda should be ashamed for not knowing it, or you should simply be proud for being hidden under that rock for so damn long. Reading the promo made me wonder why his bio mentioned that he worked with people like Tim Hecker, and I asked if Tim Hecker’s bio would say the same thing. Dead Neanderthals is a whole different story. This Dutch duo with drums and sax has been active for over a decade, throwing anything towards the audience, from deep drone doom to improvised jazz, grindcore and general psychedelica.
“Cast Down and Hunted” is a weird one. Two sides measuring 20 and 21 minutes in length carrying the titles “Subterfuge” (A) and “Paranoia” (B). “Subterfuge” (is it a ‘fuge’?) is a deep droning and throbbing piece. It’s filled with a guitar ambience from Aiden, like what we know him for, and Rene from D.N. adds ultra-slow rhythms, giving it just enough coherence to be considered a rhythm. The waveform of Otto’s sax is perfectly moulded into uniformity with Aidan’s guitar, and the result is a really fantastic piece that would make me visit the Roadburn festival.
Side B is called “Paranoid”, and it is for a reason. The opening dissonant sax sounds are pushed towards the front and generate uneasiness. Maybe restless would be a better word. The drums are more steady and constant – and faster – but it’s also way less attractive as it’s a steady kick over and over. But everywhere you listen, there are the sax sounds, and they are not those luscious bass sounds you just hear on the reverse side of the album. Aidan’s additions to this collaboration are less obvious, but you’ll find them all if you listen carefully. The title is fitting because the whole track will make you uncomfortable. Which is – if you realize music is capable of doing so – a compelling thing. But instead of getting paranoid, I prefer to be fed another emotion.
Overall, it is a powerful release where I doubt I’ll ever play the B-side again. Because it’s THAT powerful! But that A-Side might well end up on a ‘best of’ year list … (BW)
––– Address: https://www.movingfurniturerecords.com/
––– Address: https://movingfurniturerecords.bandcamp.com/
CALUM BUILDER – RENEWAL MANIFESTATION (LP by Dacapo Records)
A pipe organ assembled from various dismantled pipe organs and refurbished or, better yet, reconstructed in a very Terry Gilliam’s Brazil or Twelve Monkeys way. Tubes with stops were added to the manual, and maybe an electromotor could continuously vary or set the breath of life (the organ’s wind supply) in a chosen setting. Add to the mix a saxophone plus a string trio (violin, viola and cello), and you will have the basic ingredients for Calum Builder’s newest release: Renewal Manifestation—five pieces, including a radio edit of the second piece. As a young boy, I was an altar boy and, later on, an acolyte (with incense burner swinging privileges). The sacristan permitted me to play the lower organ whenever I wanted, and I spent many hours playing that organ after school (and after mass). The upper organ at the choir loft upstairs was forbidden territory. So whenever I get to review a release with a pipe organ (albeit rebuilt), I get a bit nostalgic and sentimental. The sound of a pipe organ is majestic in quality (although I genuinely hate Bach’s organ music: Jehain Alain, Messiaen, Duruflé, and Flor Peeters are more my thing). Enough about me, but let’s move on to the music and its composer. Calum Builder is an Australian-born composer and saxophonist who currently resides in Copenhagen. Organ duties are performed by Svend Hvidtfelt Nielsen, himself an acclaimed organ player and composer. The string trio comprises three members of the CRUSH String Collective, the string department of Damkapellet, a music collective based in Copenhagen. This is stunning, mesmerizing, thought-provoking music. There are no electronics involved. Drones, clashing chord progressions, dissonant bass pedals (without an actual bass pedal) coupled with the fluttering strings and a distant saxophone. Astonishing work! The first piece (actually two pieces stitched together) takes up side A of the record, and rightly so because there’s a lot of rumbling bass in those grooves. I could listen to this all day. The shorter pieces are more traditional: accompaniment with melodic lines with piece number 4 has sections the Orb could have used in their long-form tracks like Little Fluffy Clouds or Blue Room. Needless to say, this is absolutely recommended. Yes, there’s a story behind it all, but I just care about the music; it is magnificent and leaves a long-lasting impression. (MDS)
––– Address: https://calumbuilder.bandcamp.com/
RL HUBER – MEMORIES OF FALLING (CDR, private)
Before I started the review I spend some time trying to figure if RL Huber is the same musician who once worked as Sujo, but I couldn’t find the right answer. RL Huber has three releases on his Bandcamp, so maybe he’s a different one. ‘Memories Of Falling’ also contains an earlier digital EP, ‘Animam Edere’. HUber isn’t particularly forthcoming with information about what he does, simply telling the music ‘ambient, modern compostion, drone’ and influenced by such musicians as Tim Hecker, Anna Thornvaldsdottir and Max Richter; people who I don’t follow as such, and only very occassionally hear music from. Wihin 50 minutes, Huber has 16 tracks, meaning they are rather short and to the point. Maybe at times too short? That’s the question. Maybe they can be longer but they way they are now, concise and to the point, making them more like vignets or sketches, works also very well. It has the feeling of a movie soundtrack; and I am aware of what I mention about such things, being too short and all that. I have no idea what kind of instruments Huber uses, but I would think a fair share of the orchestral samples pack; wind and string instruments, played with quite some sustain, and waiting for the attack to fully disappear. Maybe some processed field recordings are also part of the game, but I am not sure of that. Through the music is very dark and atmospheric, and here too the soundtrack qualities shine through. It goes without saying not music for romantic comedy or sport movie, but for anything about murders, mist and mayhem, even when the music isn’t that dramatic. Wonderful music; maybe not the newest or most innovative, but something very pleasant. (FdW)
––– Address: https://rlhuber.bandcamp.com/
MINES – WARM & SAFE (CDR by Lavendersweep Records)
Housed inside a beautiful 7″ booklet of great black and white photography, I find the music of Mines, a trio from the UK: A. Mainwaring (synth, guitars, programming, drums, percussion, noise), C. Horgan (synth, guitars, vocals, drums, percussion, noise, samples) and L. Thomas (synth, bass, violin, percussion, noise). They are from Swansea, Wales, and had releases on Trepanation Recordings, and now, for the first, they are on Lavendersweep Records. They informed me the group takes on a far more experimental path here. I assume they play within the genre, which comes across as a trip-hoppy, slow beat combined with spacious electronics and lots of guitar sounds. Perhaps not the kind of music that I hear daily, but that’s because I no longer work within the record industry. There was a time when this sort of dubby space music, heavy on the beats and atmospheres, played a big part in my life, and this all comes back to me hearing this music. I am no expert here; I have not followed it closely back then or ever since, just hoovering whatever came by, such as Mick Harris’ Scorn project. Mines seems slightly less bass-heavy, but Mines Live is quite experienced, especially when employing a great sound system. Mines is not dub/reggae, but they take their inspiration from rock. It’s the rhythm that is sometimes hip/trip-hop inspired, such as in the opener ‘My Body Is Ready’. The vocals are somewhat buried in the mix, so one isn’t sure what these lyrics are about, yet they add to the atmosphere of the music. Again, as far as I can judge this kind of thing, the music sounds professional and well-produced, and it’s the kind of thing of a band going places. As said, Mines may play the type of music not covered in these pages these days (and maybe not so much anyway in the past), but when thinking about it, this music fits what we do perfectly. (FdW)
––– Address: https://lavendersweep.bandcamp.com/
HAMA AZATA (CDR, private)
A private release with all text/information in Italian. I understand one Loris Zecchin is behind Hama Azata, using “synths, guitar effect pedals, contact microphones, samples (freesound.org + Primadellapioggia “Tesis” CD Shove rec 2002)”, whatever the last means; I assume a CD that has been freely plundered. There are 35 copies of this release, which contains nine tracks. Hama Azata loves noise music from a more brutal and chaotic side. There is lots of distortion, contact microphone abuse, and sometimes nervous scratching all over the place, but it also stays in minimalist stasis, such as in ‘Esplicita Erocazione’. It could be too minimal for the six minutes this piece lasts. The pieces certainly have an old-school industrial music aspect, even when it all benefits from a more digital recording and editing approach. Hama Azata’s music has more depth than many of the old cassette releases from so many years ago, which certainly has charm and a differentness I enjoyed. Some of these pieces remain to be ideas and not yet fully functioning compositions, even when I am the first one to admit this, the sort of thing that isn’t easy with noise per se. The single-minded stream of noise may be the idea of composition. It is 37 minutes short and to the point of clarifying the intentions. Quite a promising start! (FdW)
––– Address: https://hamaazata.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-2
MEMORY DRAWINGS – DEATHBED REQUESTS (CDR by Sound In Silence)
PANOPTIQUE ELECTRICAL – FOR YEARS (CDR by Sound In Silence)
THE GREEN KINGDOM – ARCADIAN (CDR by Sound In Silence)
JARR – ALL THESE PAST LIVES (CDR by Sound In Silence)
Until now, I have received releases by Sound In Silence in bundles of two and once three. To receive four is a sign that they either release a lot or that sending them all at once is cheaper. I started with Memory Drawings, thinking this was my new name, but it’s not. I reviewed their ‘Phantom Lights’ in Vital Weekly 1208. This is a group around hammered dulcimer player Joel Hanson from Minneapolis, who now lives in Casablanca. There is a whole bunch of guest players this time, more so than last time, adding guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, cello, violin, and so on. There is much information about these players, but only a few of these names mean much to me. While many of the releases on Sound In Silence deal with electronics of some kind, this one doesn’t, or at least not very openly. Memory Drawing is a post-rock band in the classic sense of the word, with the hammered dulcimer as the oddball instrument. Like with the previous (mini-) album by them, I feel a bit of depth here, as post-rock may have been my superficial interest some 25 years ago. It’s not been the case for a long time, so I wonder if there was much development, different approaches, etc. That said, the music is most pleasant to hear, sometimes a bit dark, with a slightly Middle Eastern feeling, and a bit medieval. With the dominance of the dulcimer stage central in all eight pieces, one must really like the instrument, and this will be a bit much for some people.
Jason Sweeney’s Panoptique Electrical has been reviewed several times in Vital Weekly; the last time was in Vital Weekly 1309. That was a soundtrack album. The new one is “part of a larger music project called Ageism that traverses ideas of what it means to be older and queer” and “the compositions on this album observe the ageing queer body as a site of beauty, of wisdom, of false promises and a fragile future. Something to look forward to, something to leave behind.” There is more optimism about getting older than I have. As with many of these kinds of albums, if you play the music, the ideas behind it could be clearer. The main title does, but the pieces on the disc called ‘For Night’, ‘For Piano’, ‘For Pictures’ and so on may not reveal much as such. Maybe it doesn’t matter much, and there is an option to enjoy the music as a stand-alone work of art. Panoptique Electrical plays ambient music with the capital A. There are lots of warm synthesiser sounds, a bit of piano, much darkness and some haunting pieces, such as ‘For Bells’. Panoptique Electrical also uses software to treat field recordings, stretch them, and pitch them around. Different from the previous album, containing many shorter pieces, which didn’t work for me as such, this new album includes pieces between three and six minutes, and each is a minimalist ambient painting. A few colourful strokes (mainly grey and black strokes, of course) are enough to make a complete picture. Long enough to make sense and without much repetition, this album has some refined variation. However, it’s also not a break from the past, which some may think is at times unnecessary; this album continues the paths already walked.
Moving smoothly to The Green Kingdom, Michael Cottone’s project, and musically drifting along like Panoptique Electrical. Which is a great thing. This week, the high summer in The Netherlands and the town exploding with its annual summer festival/walking event, is the best week to stay home, avoiding crowds as much as possible. Playing soothing ambient music is the best remedy against the busy world, which is really close by but still locked out. Also, from The Green Kingdom, I have heard quite a bit of music before, and he continues with whatever he has done so far: playing the guitar, feeding it through a bunch of sound effects, and offering nine spacious pieces of music. At this point in the review, I decided to read the lengthy information this label sends along with its releases, and my eye caught: “Arcadian is something rural, rustic, or pastoral, especially suggesting simple, innocent contentment. Inspired by the definition of Arcadian, Cottone wanted the music of his new album to be contemplative, ideal for considering simpler, less chaotic times when we lived in harmony with nature.” My quest for a quieter city may convey different things than living in harmony with nature. Still, with the tinkling of sparse guitar notes, the arcadian outlook and the rustic pastoral view over a meadow on a beautiful sunny day are quite good.
And finally, more guitars can be found on the release by JARR, which stands for John Attwoord and Ray Robinson, and ‘All These Past Lives’ is their third album for Sound In Silence (see also Vital Weekly 1396 and 1336) and fourth overall. They, too, and this goes for many artists, continue to do what they do best: playing highly atmospheric music. Much of the ambient music on Sound In Silence is in the detailed difference; to the superficial listener, it all may sound the same. JARR’s music is denser and darker than the Green Kingdom and Panoptique Electrical, and, on occasion, the music is rockier, especially in the last piece, ‘There’s A Girl Who Lives In The Woods’, in which they also use a bit of drum machine. However, that’s an exception, as in the other eight pieces, it’s all about two guitars and an assortment of sound effects, quietly strumming, a bit of looping and sustaining tones generated with the e-bow. Of the four releases, this is the darkest brother, one to end the day with. Perhaps not for the first time I mention the twilight hour, which, in all honesty, is not the time of day I play a lot of music anymore, but if I would, an album such as ‘All These Past Lives’ could be one of those. The slow strumming of strings, the endless sustain, and still that bit of rock music influence all make perfect sense. Sometimes, it is a bit lonely, like forecasting a nightmare, but at the same time, it also fits the darker hour. JARR are experts in this field; this album is another proof of that. (FdW)
––– Address: https://soundinsilencerecords.bandcamp.com/
KRAUSEN YPSMAEL – MUGRESS (cassette by Steep Gloss)
Steep Gloss is a label that only releases collaborations. Behind Krausen Ypsmael, we find Stefan Krausen, a drummer active since the 1980s with groups such as Deux Balaines Blanches, Pfad der Tugend and I-Burnettes and who worked with Stefan Schneider of Kreidler and To Rococo Rot. Ypsmael is the musician NM, and I am sure that isn’t helpful either. His work is mainly in the field of live electronics and acoustic manipulations. Ypsmaek and Krausen met in 2013, and their work is recorded in concert, even when they don’t play much. At first, they used drums and bass/guitar+electronics, but these days, it’s more open when it comes to instruments. It’s not easy to recognise, and much of it is electronic. Despite being active for some time, this cassette is the debut release. I understand this release is a bit special, as it sees Krausen doing a painting and the sounds he uses are processed by Ypsmael on the spot, using “audio artefacts, electromagnetic and feedback devices, amplified objects, Pepsi, slide whistle, voice, fx pedals and field recordings. I have no references to their other music, so I am listening here for the first time. The music is a beautiful collage of acoustic sounds, none of which I saw any relation to painting. The music is the kind of electro-acoustic affair I heard in previous releases by Ypsmael. Slightly brutal attacks combined with more introspective sounding and gentle scratching of surfaces result in a great mix of various approaches and techniques. It has that somewhat more improvised feeling of musique concrète approaches but lacks the refinement to make it that kind of thing. Which is something I enjoy very much. I prefer the rough ‘n tumble of this over, as things can’t always be all too refined. Very lovely, and perhaps something more can be released? (FdW)
––– Address: https://steepgloss.bandcamp.com/
ERICA DAWN LYLE – COLONIAL MOTELS (cassette by Notice Recordings)
DEREK BARON-LUKE MARTIN – DISTINCT AND CONCEALED (cassette by Notice Recordings)
TAMARISK – COMES FROM FAR AWAY FROM HERE (cassette by Notice Recordings)
EVAN LINDORFF-ELLERY – CYMBALS AND NIGHT (cassette by Aloe Records)
Reading Pitchfork is not something I do; I have no idea why not, but as far as I know, they write about the kind of ‘alternative music’ that is too mainstream for me. They described Erica Dawn Lyle as a punk hero, which I could or couldn’t agree with. I have no idea. She is a former member of Bikini Kill and worked with Kim Gordon, none of which (I think) I heard. On her ‘Colonial Hotels’ cassette, she plays solo electric guitar and sound effects, among which we find a loop device. There are two pieces on this cassette; the first one opens with some single sounds being looped, which sounds dull/conventional. Slowly, it all moves into a swirl of noisy guitar sounds, not necessarily taking them to the ultimate extreme but nevertheless quite loud. It’s an okay piece, but it could have done more for me. I am more enamoured by the second part, a cascade from the word ‘go’. Here, there is a sea of noise, the same sort of abstract side of noise as the second bit of the first part, but within that mass, there is also room for her guitar to shine as a guitar. Disjointed sounds moving around are not exactly like an endless solo, but using that contradiction of a solo guitar versus the wall of sound approach, harsh textures, and something a bit more delicate. Very nice work, indeed.
I had not heard of either Derek Baron or Luke Martin before, but (as always) I might be wrong. They are called “thoughtful practitioners of minimal and process-oriented music”. Instruments aren’t mentioned besides a piano, only at the end of ‘Distinct’ and much of ‘Concealed’. But beyond that, I am relatively clueless about what these men use in their music. They set up their microphones in a room, a gallery space or a basement and move around, playing the organ or, so the information says, a no-input mixer. Whatever else they are doing becomes part of the drones, which are mainly present on the first side. Low humming, with the rustling of paper around that, or clothes or…? Whatever else. This is the sort of small-sound approach that John Cage loved. ‘Concealed’ is a slightly different piece, in which the piano is played loosely and without too much repetition, almost as if someone plays the piano for the first time. This piece needs to have the intensity of the other one, with it all being a more open-ended piece of sounds in a space. ‘Distinct’ has a lovely brooding undercurrent, dark and mysterious, of significant, dramatic events waiting to unfold.
From Tamarisk I reviewed recently a release contaiing two live recordings. This is a trio of Christina Carter, David Menestres, and Andrew Weathers, with no particular instruments mentioned on the cover. There might be bass, guitar, saxophone, and Carter’s voice. She sings without words, and like before, it’s something I enjoy less. Tamarisk is a free improvisation trio that goes everywhere without being hectic and nervous. Their music is relatively calm and spacious, exploring the space between sounds—nothing too loud or extreme, nothing distorted. As I said, I like the music without the voice better than with it. With voice, it becomes too much of a weird jazz combo thing, which people want but not for me.
In the meantime, Notice Recordings boss Evan Lindorff-Ellery is on a solo release for the Aloe Records label. He played with cymbals and field recordings and recorded the music on his iPhone, adding low-fidelity quality to his music. He treats his cymbals as objects, not as resonating surfaces; Lindorff-Ellery uses stones and concrete to either play the cymbals or as surfaces on which he scrapes his cymbals. This is on the first side. The second side sees him working with contact microphones and humming along. It’s not easy to say if the two pieces on this cassette were recorded live or if there was some editing. I listened closely and concluded I don’t know. But whatever was my other thought. It’s the result that counts, and the results are excellent. Music that is at a crossroads of improvisation and electro-acoustic music. Music that is harsh and noisy, yet without being full-blown noise, but keeping the listener on edge. The iPhone certainly adds a flavour to the music that fits the imperfection of the music. Lindorff-Ellery keeps his music together. I think he sets out a course beforehand, setting rules before playing, like a score of some kind, even when it’s all in his head, and then performs accordingly. Within the few elements he uses to produce his music, he knows how to create many variations and stay in control when playing his music. Excellent cassette! (FdW)
––– Address: https://noticerecordings.bandcamp.com/
––– Address: https://aloerecords.bandcamp.com/
SID WERNER – THE HUM (cassette by The Numeral)
The name of Sid Werner came up for the first time in a review from a P by the Berlin-based trio Wirecutter (Vital Weekly 1380). He plays the upright bass in that group and on this solo release. He informs us that his solo work is less rooted in the world of jazz and improvisation and more about drones. Maybe these are played as improvisations? The title is from the acoustic phenomenon of the same name. This cassette has four pieces, about seven to nine minutes each. Werner explores the minimalist bowing on the bass, slow, almost/static, as far as it is possible to do this without any motion and still produce sound (i.e., impossible). Werner refrains from using electronics; the idea is to get a heavy, low-end sound. Maybe the cassette isn’t the appropriate format for such low-end music, as it may not capture that in the same way as perhaps a CD could do. These four pieces are consistent in their approach, and if there is any stasis, it’s more in the sameness of the pieces than in the actual playing. One could call this a very consistent release, of one idea being executed very well; another approach could be Werner plays the same piece for times, in slightly different variations, almost like the performance of a classical piece not being the same thing. I decided to skip considerations like that and enjoy what is on offer. So be it if it’s more or less the same thing. This might be your thing if you like acoustic drone music and a bit of the more improvised variation. (FdW)
––– Address: https://neue-numeral.bandcamp.com/