Oakland’s Hiss + Hum has shown itself to be an ever-evolving sonic adventure over the years, with “Life In Exile” proving a brilliant capstone. Imagine cross-breeding La Monte Young’s tonal-vs-atonal/rhythmic acoustic dynamics with Laraaji’s energetic/frenetic bliss-outs, PLUS some intermittent Musique Concréte action to keep you on your toes! Through field snippets, lo-fi reverb chamber recordings, battered piano and banjo (the latter sounding NOTHING like a banjo, like, AT ALL), LIE is a truly mesmerizing (if subtly un-nerving) work of avant/minimalist somnambulance that lends itself for equal parts hypnotism and hallucination.
Great for painting, reading, urban walks, or just staring out the window at wind-swaying branches budding, with AND without headphones.
http://freakslabel.com/hiss-hum-live-broadcast/
-- Jacob An Kittenplan