Hey, I like movies. Who doesn’t? Getting lost in the celluloid labyrinth
is one of my favorite things to do, as one film always opens the door for the
next two, whether stylistically or personnel-wise, and it just spirals out from
there exponentially. Julia Bloop, aka Devin Johnson (aka also Sunset Diver),
digs movies too, and here on Uncut
Carrara he brings his plunderphonic ear to a massive full-length feature. That’s
right, for an hour and sixteen minutes, a nice length for lean picture, Johnson
splices together film soundtracks and dialogue, using nothing but a four-track
and samplers, building an immersive world that can only be realized on the
silver screen. And by the “silver screen” I obviously mean a cassette tape! The
visuals are only in my mind…
Grainy stock and black-and-white Hollywood dreams seep into the
atmosphere and noir up the joint, the air of melodrama and intrigue thickening
as the tape progresses. It’s probably not a stretch to imagine this as a Golden
Age motion picture equivalent to Leland Kirby’s daguerreotype turn-of-the-century
recordings as the Caretaker, complete with dust and cobwebs to give it
character. Truly, Uncut Carrara sounds
like Johnson dug up a bunch of old film reels in a Hollywood Hills attic or
downtown storage facility. Even when decidedly 1960s-esque guitar and exotica
seep through, it remains distinctly of a place and time, a period steeped in
nostalgia, nostalgia for history and the then-present, nostalgia for the
recreation of that history now. It’s an incredible thing to listen to all the
way through.
https://juliabloop.bandcamp.com/
https://kman925.bandcamp.com/
--Ryan
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