Jesus. Look gang, I’m a fan of all the crazy musics, just like the rest
of you lot. I go in for a bit of noise here, a bit of industrial there, and a
whole ton of ambient synth wash whenever I can get my hands on it. There’s a
little of all of that in Husher’s Madonna
of Bellevue, which stretches for 60 minutes in all directions. It’s a
little daunting, I’m gonna be honest. Because there’s very little to grab onto.
Hey, what? So I’m not INTO IT, OK? Big FREAKIN deal. But I’m calling it
like I sees it, and I sees a big old heap of static out of which tones and
other things periodically poke. There’s rhythmic pulses here and there, but
little rising above the level of electrical lines being tapped with a metronome.
The label, Elm Recordings (which has released some nice things, IMO) has this
to say about it: “New industrial-influenced synth project from prolific New
Haven-based musician Donovan Fazzino (Arabian Blade, Hate Your Guts).
Ever-changing textures and dynamics build tension while dark, rhythmic melodies
draw in the listener.”
Can I just say I love the name Arabian Blade? Let’s get that out of the
way.
Anyhoo, it’s hard for me to latch on to the “tension” Fazzino’s going
for here, mainly because early on we’re treated to tones that sound like the
alien craft looking for sperm whales in Star
Trek IV: The Voyage Home. I get stuck on that, and then I start laughing
because I love that movie. “Double dumbass on you!” Priceless. Also, some of
this sounds like incidental music from Tron,
a less funny movie, but another one that takes me right out of the moment. It …
derezes my attention. (I had to look
up the spelling for that. Did you know there’s a Tron wiki?)
If you think you’d like this, shoot, check it out, because someone out
there is going to dig it. I’m just not that guy.
--Ryan Masteller
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